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01/08/2021 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

5 Smart Tips for Safe Online Shopping in 2021

Online shopping is fast becoming the new norm. Thanks to the freedom, convenience, and ease it offers, you're probably thinking of doing it yourself. However, one of the biggest concerns most online shoppers have is security which is why we recommend to only access trusted shopping sites such as https://www.shoppok.com/bikes-for-sale-cg/hutch-bmx-sp. How secure are your financial details on shopping websites?

Here are a few tips that can help you stay safe in 2021.

1. Start with trusted sites

There are millions of online retail sites today. Most of them are legitimate, but some contain links to spam and malicious content. You, therefore, need to be extra careful when searching for a shopping website.

First, start with the popular and well-known sites like Amazon.com or Ebay.com. You're less likely to be scammed on these sites since you've probably used them before. You can also try your favorite retail stores if they're online, but ensure you know the right web addresses.

Be on the lookout for the popular domain misspelling scams, for instance, a hacker may use Amazon.net instead of Amazon.com. These tricks have been successful for years because they're not conspicuous at first glance.

2. Look for HTTPS URL and a padlock icon

Before sharing your credit union information on an online shopping site, here are the two rules you should follow: Ensure the site’s URL starts with HTTPS, and confirm that a locked padlock icon appears slightly left of the URL bar. (Click here for a full list of privacy tips while shopping online)

The (S) in HTTPS stands for secure and shows that the shopping website has integrated a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. The locked padlock (sometimes green) indicates that your connection to the website is secure.

Avoid sharing any information on sites with just HTTP and without the padlock.

3. Don’t shop over public wi-fi

We’ve heard stories about public wi-fi hotspots and cybercriminals countless times. By now, you should know that while shopping using public Wi-Fi seems convenient, it leaves your data in the hands of hackers.

Personal information such as your credit card details, bank details, phone number, and your emails are but a few of the data a hacker can manipulate from the vulnerabilities of unsecure Wi-Fi.

So, instead of exposing yourself to that much risk, always use your data to complete your online shopping transactions. And if you really have to use Wi-Fi, a simple VPN download will go a long way to improving your security.

But still, if you can avoid insecure public Wi-Fi, do yourself a favor and do it.

4. Keep your software up-to-date

Updating your software is the #1 online security measure every security expert recommends. Whether you're shopping on your phone, laptop, or tablet, ensure that the operating system is up-to-date with the latest updates.

Updating your software fixes any vulnerabilities that cybercriminals may exploit to send malware into your system.

5. Avoid ‘too good to be true’ offers

In any e-commerce store, if any product pricing appears to be too good to be true, it probably is. Don't trust any seller offering such an offer. This is usually a trap by some sellers to collect your credit card information among other data, so they can sell it. In other cases, the product might be of very poor quality. And if you need cargo shorts, make sure to check out different options from sites like https://www.unionbay.com/collections/cargo-shorts-for-men.

Conclusion

When shopping online, getting scammed isn’t just a far-fetched idea. It happens to millions of people every day. You should therefore be careful with how you go about the process if you want to avoid it. With the tips above, we’re confident that you’ll always be one step ahead of the criminals.

Photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash

First Steps in Starting Your Own Business

Starting your own business is a great concept. Conducting business while engaging in activities you are passionate about, flexible scheduling, being your own boss, and selecting your employees are all great perks to entrepreneurship. Then if you have employees working from home (many do now) you should also have a look at a remote worker tracking system as these are invaluable for checking up on what they are doing.

However, there are some essential steps to follow in order to launch your brilliant idea successfully. If you're looking for Edmonton Search Engine Optimization contact the team at Rednosal Web Design in Edmonton, Alberta.

Determine if you are able and ready to start a business

To successfully measure if starting a business is the right move for you at the moment, it may be a good idea to break down and analyze your finances. Depending on the type of business you are looking to start, there may be a good amount of capital involved. If you don't have the cash on hand to jump-start your business, it may be wise to begin shopping around for a small business loan filling an online loan eligibility check each time you can. Your credit score factors into banks' decision to give you the funding you may need to finance your dream. Given how crucial this score can be to your success, it's essential to understand how this process works. Before this step, it is necessary to determine if your credit is up to par to even obtain a loan. Once you pull your report, you may find it necessary to raise your score before applying for this loan. Paying more than your credit card limit, reducing card usage, or consolidating your loans will all lend a hand in helping you raise your score. You could go a step further and recruit a specialist credit repair firm like Credit Sage to help streamline your credit optimization.

Assess your business idea

Conduct research in your market to see what your competitors are up to. Determine areas within your business where you can expand or differentiate your product or service. This is also a great time to begin determining your target market, which is a part of your market research. Use SEO tools to help you decide who is buying products or using the services you are looking to provide. SEO tools will also allow you to monitor your competitor's online behavior, which will better help you to establish an online presence in the near future, also use bid writing to help you better communicate your organization's message.

Build your business plan

Your business plan will help you give direction and may be a requirement when seeking funding from a lender. Before putting together your business plan, it is essential to identify who you are creating the layout for and who is intended to view it, whether that be a third party, financial institution, or partner. Once your audience has been established, outline your plan. Most business plans contain the following subsections:

Executive Summary
Opportunity
Market Analysis Summary
Execution
Company and Management Summary
Financial Plan
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Appendix

Note: If you need more help creating your business plan, check out this business plan template from Growthink.com. And if you need help with your financial systems, accounting software, and ERP system challenges, then you might want to use a software like Quickbooks desktop.

Choose your business structure

Once you have developed a business plan, it is crucial to plan out how you want to structure your business. Do you need employees? How many? If you need to hire employees, make sure to conduct a cognitive ability test to help you know if they will fit the job. Will you need a store-front with a touch screen cash register for your business, or are you able to conduct business online? Your business structure can help you determine the following:

small business tax preparation
licenses you will have to acquire
personal liability
ongoing costs
legal obligations

Get a handle on your personal finances

Saving your money and managing your bills will be an ongoing task once your business is up and running. Not only will you have your past debts and current bills to pay, but you will have to keep up with monthly statements for your new business and repaying the loans you've acquired in relation to your business. Opening up a mobile banking account for your company is a great way to help you separate business from personal finances. It is also a convenient way to track your finances and manage your money on the go, which will complement your new entrepreneurial lifestyle.

Build your support team

As a new small-business owner, becoming a leader may a big step up from your previous work, which makes it essential to have advice from someone who has already seen what it takes to be successful, we recommend the business coach Melbourne assistance for all new business and for ones who need help even time after they started.

Need to know what is the best sentence paraphrase tool free online for your business website? This tool helps you to paraphrase your articles, assignments, essays and any other content with super-fast speed. You don’t need to spend a single penny to rewrite your content without any fear of plagiarism.

A mentor is an useful sounding board for any issues your company encounters, which is why we recommend working with a company like Make Money Alchemy. When you do start building your business advisory team, it's essential to also think about the specific needs of your company and the skills you need to maintain growth such as having managed it services. It's also critical to make sure that everyone you seek advice from can provide you with constructive feedback that pushes you to succeed. The more people you have in your corner that are willing to support and advocate for you, the easier it will be to cultivate success in your business utilize your family and friends with accounting, finance, human resource, and legal backgrounds to assist you with any pertinent or concerning questions you may have as well.

Once you've got your team of support and staff assembled you then are responsible for the task of managing your team. You may have everyone located in the same office in the same town, but more and more companies are offering staff the opportunity to work virtually or remote from home. For these individuals, you're going to need to know how to effectively manage members of your remote team and workforce.

10/04/2017 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

4 Reasons Security Cards or Badges Are Essential for Your Business

Every business must maintain control of the movements in and out of its facilities at all times. Most businesses have adopted modern security technologies, especially at the main entrances to secure their assets. Employees are required to key in certain codes or use biological characteristics to access facilities. Some of these technologies have replaced security badges. Many businesses now rely on digital IDs instead of traditional badges. While modern technologies are more reliable than traditional security measures, businesses need to maintain ID badges. Here are the main advantages of security badges.

Enhanced security

The main reason why ID cards were introduced was to improve security in organizations. Businesses can control movements in their premises when employees and visitors display badges at all times. Security personnel can also identify the employees or visitors who have access to different rooms or sections in a day. Most identification badges have magnetic strips that enable employees to access each room. It is easy to track movements when security cards are integrated with other security technologies in the facilities. In addition, the ID cards have photos of the rightful owners, which eliminates the possibility of sharing security badges.

Better customer relationships

Personalized customer service is hard to achieve in large organizations. Such organizations attend to tens of customers every day who have just a few minutes with the employees. In fact, most organizations have replaced face-to-face interactions with emails, phone calls, and chats. Some clients still prefer to the traditional methods of communication and will prefer to speak to the customer service staff in person. When staff members have security badges on them, customers can identify the staff with their name and position.

Improving employee accountability

A business must involve its employees in its efforts to keep all assets secure. Employees organize most of the security breaches in organizations. ID cards make employees accountable for their movements and actions. With enhanced features on the badges, security personnel can track all the movements. Employees are aware of these possibilities and are less likely to access restricted areas.

Building employee relations

In a small business, employees can identify their workmates with their names and positions. The same is impossible in large organizations where new employees are hired every other month. Building employee relationships is harder when employees have different work shifts. However, employees can learn their colleagues’ names from their security badges. The badges are helpful to new employees who may take a longer period to know all the employees in the organization. Managers can also identify employees with their names and departments easily.

New security technologies emerge every year to help businesses secure their facilities and assets. The technologies are more reliable and harder to breach than the traditional technologies. However, some traditional measures such as security badges are still relevant to the modern business world. The benefits of security badges go beyond securing the business, along with other methods of keeping your workplace safe and secure. The badges enhance relationships among employees and between employees and clients. Security badges work best when integrated with other security technologies in the business.