8 New Year Resolution Ideas

The new year is just around the corner! With the new year comes many little things, such as celebrations, feasts, deals, and all kinds of good things. As humans we all want to set new goals to achieve every year, and businesses also sets new goals to achieve without any exceptions. It can be hard to determine the exact goal to go for, but everything starts with a simple question:

What does your business aim to 

achieve in the new year? 

Just to help you save some thinking time, here are  8 New Year Resolution Ideas, for any small business.

1. Learn How to Delegate More

When running a small business there tends to be a million things to do. Faxes to send out, email to reply to, accounts to settle, bills to pay, staff to manage, business meetings to attend, issues to resolve, trying to meet monthly sales targets, and the list goes on and on. This is tiring, and it has very bad negative effects on your health. Look at from this perspective, if you are laid out 'cold' for a whole week without any productive work being done, rather being slower in finishing your productive work rather than in 1 day, but in 2 days (perhaps). Your small business has staff that are paid a salary to do work for you, and these staff of yours are excited to learn, grow, and be part of your business. Giving a little bit of empowerment goes a long way. The conclusion is, delegate more and do it more often.

2. Give Something Back to the Community

Make the new year a year when you get involved in your community to give back, give a free seminar, provide free workshops, or even donate some money to a notable cause. Find something that you believe in and support it. Through your honest intentions you could potentially meet new clients, or spread positive awareness about your company. Along the way hopefully generating a large loyal following for your business.

3. Drop What is Not Working, and Move On

Having a conundrum that doesn't seem to go away? Maybe it is time to cut your losses and just move on. Some problems are not meant to be solved immediately, but rather it may be solved in due time. Drop what is not working and move on to something more productive, and potentially more profitable. Why waste your valuable resources, and time into something that is really not working? Put all of your talents and skills into something that would make money, and hopefully through that new venture, it generates more money than what the previous hold up cost you.

4. Learn Something New

Learning something new doesn't need to be limited to your industry, or anything related to what you do. It could be learning Photoshop if you are a service business, or learning engineering if you are in the design field. All of everything you learn will have a benefit in the future, like the two examples used, if you are a service business with some handy dandy Photoshop skills you could whip up beautiful posters that could be used in your advertising endeavors, and for a designer to know engineering, would also be profitable in the future when he/she wants to design anything that requires a little bit of engineering know-how. Pick up something new and don't worry about it, because in the near future, everything you have invested time into will somehow reap its rewards. How do you make more time? Well delegation works right? ;) (Not all education is expensive you can study new things here for free)

5. Set a Savings Budget

Your business is flying online with great new ideas. So hold on to your horses, because in all businesses there are always ups and downs to everything. There will be happy times and also very gloomy times. Set a savings budget, to make sure that you have a safety net to fall onto when there are bad times. 

6. Create a Spending Cap

With money flowing in and out the tendency to overspend available monetary funds can be very tempting. Consider putting a spending cap on monthly activities, and for a more macro view a yearly spending cap to ensure that expenses don't exceed the benchmark you have set. This maximizes efficiency and allows you to make critical spending decisions to ascertain whether what you spend is truly making you a healthy profit.

7. Go Mobile

Now that your business should be somewhat underway (I am assuming that it is, because you are entering the new year with a business, that should mean your business is of age). Go mobile. The mobile market isn't something that you should question its viability anymore with figures flying showing statistics that mobile is probably the new future, as consumers and customers are looking for a more convenient portable way to access basic information. Why lose out on the mobile market when an investment into it wouldn't hurt you, but just grow and expand from your current market penetration. 

8. Refresh Your Website

Your website is awesome, but when was the last time you updated it? Have new projects that you recently completed, your company has a new direction, the trend for websites have changed, and many more. These are some of the reasons to why you should heavily consider reforming your website, as your website is the face of your company in the digital atmosphere and first impressions as we all know it is a lasting impression!

photo by Harold Neal

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Internet Businesses & Malaysia's 2014 Budget

HOORAH! THE NEW YEAR IS JUST 

AROUND THE CORNER!!!

2014 Budget (Latest or not so new news)

The 2014 National Budget of Malaysia, proves to be something of a good news to the Internet Industry. According to a report by Avanti Kumar from MIS Asia (2013) the Budget 2014 proposals tabled by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Friday, October 25th 2013, includes introduction of the new 6% GST that will help reduce surplus, while shrinking and balancing the fiscal deficit by 2020. Among the news was that the ICT Industry didn't miss out on initiatives too, as there was an allocation of RM3.4 billion ($1.08 billion) for the second phase of the national high-speed broadband project (HSBB), which has been so far implemented by Telekom Malaysia. - read more here -

What is High Speed Broadband?

High Speed Broad band in simplicity means fast Internet. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia implemented a High Speed Broadband Initiative, named the National Broadband Initiative in hope of making High Speed Internet available to the Citizens of Malaysia at an affordable price, with added emphasis for rural areas for the second phase.

How Small Businesses Benefit from Faster Internet?

Malaysia is the 2nd highest country in South East Asia for social media penetration. Social Media has taken to Malaysia by storm! It represents a part of the lives of the people of Malaysia, and proves to be integral in everyday tasks.

Malaysia's eCommerce revenue alone is at a staggering $30,000,000,000, approximately making up 9.88% of the country's GDP. This is just starting as the Internet space in Malaysia is expected to grow at least 20% more ($6,000,000,000) in the near future.

This proves that the Internet is a strong and growing marketplace for Malaysia. Faster broadband can deliver more productivity at lower costs, and small businesses can benefit from from reduced costs greatly. Small business can connect easily to the world, supporting innovative ideas, high-tech jobs, and grow productivity.

Clearing the air between Bandwidth vs Speed.

Bandwidth and Speed are two very different things. Just for everyone to understand lets use the highway example, where the lanes of the highway represent the bandwidth, and the speed well represents the speed. Adding more Bandwidth means adding more lanes to the highway allowing more traffic to flow, in this case more data, but the speed limit still stays fixed. So if you want faster Internet for better quality, then check speed not the Bandwidth.

Great, now what should you do?

Take advantage of the Internet by:

1. Having a legitimate different approach to after sales service through the Internet, where problems faced by your customers can be posted to an online portal for you to address to.
2. Creating a blog to engage with your customers. (Learn how to develop better titles for your Business Blog here)
3. Organize discounts and deals through an online campaign.

Optimize your results by knowing what Google is doing with their search; 'Organic' SEO.

Let us know what you think:

1. What is your perspective on the latest 2014 Budget for Malaysia?
2. Does the 2014 Budget leave any implications for Internet Businesses in Malaysia?

Image sourced from Suara Generasi Baru | data sourced from GDP - World Bank Indicator | News from MIS Asia

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

With all the festivities going on, I just thought, Christmas is about the spirit of giving and the New Year has all kinds of new aspirations, wants and needs. So I thought of doing something a little bit different, sort of a catch! I believe through creating a definitive list of what you should own would draw a trail enough to give gift ideas, or what you should need.

Things you should own~

1. Pen and Notebook. To write down all the nitty gritty stuffs.

2. A Library Card. To read more and learn more.

3. A good Phone. Something you can call your friends with, not just through dialing, as this is the age of other methods of communicating.

4. A TeaCup.

5. Soap. Hygiene is important.

6. A gym membership. Working is great, but your health helps you do greater things!

Having mental block? Looking at a single perspective is tough. Running into a brick wall over and over again isn't going to get you around it. Tough as it may sound, presented above in the short 6 list shows you just how to look at the "brick wall" from a different camera angle. This allows ideas to stream in! This doesn't just apply to gift ideas, it can work for many other things too. Sometimes a road block doesn't mean you have to make a u-turn there are alternative routes around the corner.

Consider approaching your problem head on and looking at it from a bird's eye view, taking a deep breath and looking at it one step at a time.

When the going gets tough consider turning for expert advice! You could consult a stationary expert on potential stationary that would suit your exact needs, or you could even consult expert advice on technological information you may need to know that could save you time, and "brain juice".

Hopefully these give you ideas you need for Christmas gifts, or New Year needs that could boost your productivity!

photoby John B. Petersen III

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10 OS X Mavericks Keyboard Shortcuts

What it takes to be productive

Focus. It seems to be rather elusive of late and doesn't really help you when times are getting more and more difficult. It can be rather draining when you find yourself working for 'hours' and not get anything done at all. Times like this call for some drastic action. Right now you could be needing to do 3 very important things. Here is the trick. Pick only one. Eliminate the rest. 

Now that the task is clear, destroy all other forms of attraction. Bookmark all your tabs, and only leave the one tab open that is going to work for you.

Then from here, just dive in.

How to reduce clutter

There is a time in life where everyone is faced with a whole lot of clutter, when things just get out of hand, and continue to pile up in an endless clutter. The answer is simple. Declutter.

Actions that you must take. Now.

How to do just that? Well how do you get started? Let's do it in simple steps:

1. Take 10 minutes today to sort through a pile of clutter.
2. Ask relevant questions like: Do i really really really need this?
3. Stop after 10 minutes don't do too much. It will eventually turn into a negative action which doesn't make decluttering a little more pleasant that what it is.

Here are some of the 10 shortcuts that I use when I am on my Mac. (Sorry Windows folks, I will get to that bit in the future!)

1. Command + Shift + 3

Full-screenshot (for times when you want to remember something really quick and it will just pop onto your desktop with no hassles! 

2. Command + Shift + 4

For the time when you really want to screenshot something very specific (and this also pops onto your desktop)

3. Command + Tab

Change between active applications quickly from your desktop!

4. Command + N

when in Finder this creates a quick New folder.

5. Command + [

Go back in Finder.

6. Command + ]

Go forwards in Finder

7. Command + Delete

move files in Finder to trash

8. Command + Spacebar

launch spotlight!

9. Command + W

Close window

10. Spacebar

preview highlighted items in finder

Most of these shortcuts, really help when times are tough. Rushing to complete deadlines, or finish work that seems to be piling up! All of these help a ton.

If you have more and would like to share how you use these in a creative way, or how it helps you to declutter let us know what you think!

All images are rights of their respective owners | Neither EVERWORKS nor the author take any ownership of the images. 

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Thanksgiving - Breakfree2013

Who is facing this issue?

It was brought to our attention, here in EVERWORKS, that there are people in Cambodia that are without toilets. We also found out that achieving universal access to safe water and sanitation would save 2.5 million live every year (WHO 2008). 

This to us is serious.

Who brought this to our attention?

The Cambodian Toilet Crisis was brought to our attention through a group of University students from the University of Wollongong in INTI International University.

Money crisis.

28.3% of Cambodians live on less than $1.25 (purchasing power parity) per day (UNHDP 2011). A toilet averages $200, and paying for a toilet is difficult.

How does EVERWORKS feel?

The Cambodian Toilet Crisis struck a cord with us as it brought us to understand that the basic things we take for granted everyday is a luxury for another that is facing a tougher situation. 

What action have we taken?

We believed in what the University students set out to do, and we decided to back them up, giving them adequate resource, and consultation to show that although as a company, profits are important, but the well-being of others is just as equally important to us.

How can you help?

Contribute to Water and Toilets, a social business that aims to make a difference in the community by giving its time and resources to solving real world problems, and one of the problems that they are trying to solve right now is the Cambodian Toilet Crisis. 

We are interested to find out what you think:

1. Can you live on $1.25 a day?
2. Did you already know that toilets were such a 'big' issue?
3. How do you think, world problems like this can be solved?

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History of the Internet

The Internet has come a long way from when it first started with conceptualizations that are now today considered to be revolutionary, but back in the ages considered to be only something of a distant dream.

The Internet has revolutionized the way people communicate (Skype, Whatsapp, etc), the way people share their life experiences (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc), the way news is spread (Twitter, etc), the way causes are made known (Thunderclap, etc) the way funding is obtained (Kickstarter, etc), the way education should be shared (Khan Academy, etc), and many more.

These are the start of something greater, the continual growth of the human race; for the betterment of everyone.

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to serve several billion users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries an extensive range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW), the infrastructure to support email, and peer-to-peer networks. - Wikipedia

Fancy as it may sound but the Internet is simple in its on complex manner. Think of it as a place that people can gather, like a country on its own (but with the global human race as its population). You can do anything, help in anyway, spread news, do business, share photos, advertise, market a brand, absolutely anything. EVERWORKS is an example of something that was given birth to because of the Internet. There are no limits making the Internet one of mankinds most crazy invention, and it is just the start.

Forty years ago, the average person followed an employment path largely determined by birth and education, often committing to one employer until retirement. Today you probably wouldn’t even consider that as a viable option. Success is no longer solely determined by the right education, the perfect resume, or even your age and background. Teens as young as 12 are now coding websites, producing films and building networks through social media. By the time they’re adults, this online generation will already have some skills and real-world experience that a formal education just can’t provide.The Internet is bringing a revolution along with it. Access to information combined with global supply and demand is reshaping established conventions and destroying old world definitions. - Forbes

Check out the video below for a brief excerpt of just what the Internet is!
 

Photo by Mig Reyes | History of the Internet from Melih Bilgil on Vimeo.

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Private vs Public Cloud

There has been a lot of shenanigans about cloud computing and it has been revolving a lot of mainstream media of late. Yea yea I know what you're thinking, this is going to be just one of the other posts about "Cloud Computing" that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, but it just is here to ride on with the waves of the world!

Guess what?! Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn't just one of those posts. Consider this to be a layman's article about cloud computing. Just for everyone else in the world who isn't very much a tech geek.

So cloud, it was probably as big news as Apple making moves with the mobile application world; which did generate quite a bit of buzz. So what is "Cloud Computing"? According to Wikipedia, it is a "colloquial expression used to describe a variety of different types of computing concepts that involve a large number of computers connected through a real-time communication network (typically the Internet)". Well the definition does its job, but it makes it a little bit too fancy for me. 

Just to explain it in a simple manner, consider this; you want to build something big, but now all you need is just a simple computer with a log-in and a subscription. Like immediate access to unlimited power supply whenever you need it, and only paying for what you use. Now that is a bare basic of cloud computing, but that is only just scratching the surface of it. (this post is supposed to be about private vs public cloud - I will touch on more specifics of cloud computing in a different post) 

Now let's move on, now that we have the basic idea of what cloud computing is the question is private vs public cloud; which should I need?

Public Cloud:

1. Standardized operations such as email, shared by many people
2. Collaboration projects
3. You have SaaS (Software as a Service) from a vendor with a well implemented security policy.

Private Cloud:

1. Your business and your data is controlled by you. (Privacy and Security is mandotary)
2. Your business industry requires high privacy and security.
3. Your business builds and innovates next generation cloud products.

Knowing which Cloud Computing option to choose can be a hassle, and being able to see a macro view helps in easing the decision making process.

Cloud Computing is still relatively new in the Malaysian market, but consider it to become a major player in future businesses. Consider going the cloud way, because it may suit your company's requirement for scalability, or just give you the occasional security net when you need power the most.

Let us know what you think:

1. Do you think cloud computing will solve your day to day business problems?
2. How is cloud computing changing the world of computing today?

image source cubeelite & imore

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Wikipedia is Powerful

Wikipedia is great for 

Personal Branding and Business.

Why Wikipedia?

1. You can create or edit your business, brand or biography post on its website.
2. Your business or personal brand Wikipedia page can produce significant improvement to your business and your reputation.
3. It adds a level of prestige, authenticity and credibility to your business, brand or persona.
4. It provides you with an additional and credible website presence that will depict your business with integrity.
5. Can produce a significant positive increase in salesEnhance your visibility in search engine results

Wikipedia is all great, but is it really that significant?

At a rate of 600 words a minute, 16 hours a day, a person could read about 17,000,000 words in a month. In the month of July 2006, Wikipedia grew by over 30,000,000 words. Reading the current incarnation at that rate would take over seven years, and by the time they were done, so much would have changed with the parts they had already read that they would have to start over. The best way to get an idea of the bigger picture is with statistics. The available statistics cover various aspects of Wikipedia, whether as an encyclopedia, a website, or a community. Some provide current snapshots and others track growth and development over time.

As of January 2010, comScore estimated that Wikipedia earned 365 million unique visitors per month.Wikipedia is the seventh most popular website in the world, and is used by 500 million people each month. Of these, about one out of 15,000 contribute five or more edits (you can too!), and of those, a stable 10% contribute more than 100 edits each month. The largest number of these active editors was in March 2007, 4800, and is around 3300 in 2013.

Hooray, now what do I do?

Step 1.

You should make sure that your business is renowned and someone has created articles or news about your business or company, which are available online. Has anyone created outside articles about your company online?

Step 2.

Create Wikipedia account.

Step 3

1. Do not include your personal essays or original research as citations.
2. It is not recommended you to pull tons of information directly from your business website, until you have a big company like 7Eleven, or Telekom Malaysia.
3. This outside source citation about your business proves that your business is known.
4. And most important  - do not advertise or market your company in your post.
5. If you don’t have a lot of outside articles, consider doing a little public relations outreach and publish new relevant content before creating a page.

Why you should follow the rules/guidelines.

Wikipedia is a place where people go to for resourceful information, and it should never be used as a place to promote or to sell any of your products! Follow the rules, because Wikipedia owns some really valuable real estate in Google, and it wouldn't hurt for you to have a "legit" Wikipedia page to hop into some of those prime real estates! 

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