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Cash is king | Seven things to do to boost your business financially

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There are few things that we all want when we are talking about business. More time, more resources and – usually – more money. While it’s often the case that we look to the outside for more funding for our business, often some great rewards can be uncovered from within if you just know where to look!

A very simple example of how you can save a great deal of money with your business is to make the shift to a virtual office. A virtual office still gives you the benefit of a bricks and mortar office space, without the huge financial commitment for a commercial lease. With a virtual office you enjoy the best bits of a prestige address and none of the financial burden.

While having a virtual office does involve moving your team into a remote working environment, it’s worthwhile for the money you will save. So long as you take the right steps to maintain good culture (even with a remote team) it’ll work out for you. If you’re interested in knowing more about a virtual office you can find some info here: www.servcorp.co.th/en/virtual-offices/

Let’s take a look at a few more ways to save money and boost your business financially.
Recover your debts
When you’re looking to get some more money fast the quickest and easiest way you can do this is  to recoup some of your old debts. Chase up as many of the payments that you are owed as possible. If you don’t have the time available to you to chase up your debts, then maybe you need to enlist the services of a debt collection agency to help out. Make sure you contracts and conditions of sale are up to date so you can chase people effectively.

Sort out your expenses

As we mentioned above, it’s important to reduce costs wherever you can – and a great way to do this is with a virtual office. Another way you can do it is to go onto a payment plan for larger expenses, to switch up your insurance to try and get a better deal, or to switch to a cheaper supplier for consumables.

Sell some assets

If you have a bunch of assets sitting around, you might consider offloading some to get some cash coming in.

Have a discount sale

If you’re looking to get some cash coming in, you might like to offer markdowns or have a sale on full price items to get some more cash coming in to your business.

Increase your prices
Another option to get cash flow – albeit not a hugely popular one with the customers – is to offer an increase in prices. If you do it correctly it can be a good option.

Consolidate your debt

If you have a lot of debt at the moment see if you are able to combine it all into a low interest and low rate amount. If you’re thinking about refinancing your current debt, make sure you shop around and get the best possible price.

Invest some of your own money

It seems counterintuitive – but investing your own money can be a good way to get more investment from others.

Growing your business is a balancing act where you need to ensure that you have enough cash flow and suitable asset management to make sure that you can stay afloat even in tough times. By implementing some of these tips and working with your financial team to make sure you’re on top of things you’re sure to experience success. Good luck with it all – and enjoy the ride.

Your Business Will Blossom Beautifully With This Expansion Guide

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Once your business reaches a certain point on the market, you will begin to think about expansion. You will want to take your company to the next step on the market. How can you do this and what decisions will you need to make? Before we answer these questions let’s look at the advantages and the dangers of a business expansion such as this.

The main advantage is that once your business expands you will be in the perfect position to make greater levels of profit. Your company will attract more consumers and customers willing and able to buy from you. You might also attract the interest of investors and find new business leads. This is particularly important when you are running a B2B model.

However, expanding could also make your business less competitive on the market. It’s the equivalent of putting on a little extra weight. You’re going to struggle to win any races if you get fat. This is exactly what an expansion could mean for your business and that’s why you need to approach the possibility the right way. Do this and your business will blossom beautifully. Don’t and you will struggle to find your place on the market. Now, let’s look at how you should approach your business expansion.

Build Around Demand

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The first thing you must consider is whether or not there is a demand for your business to expand. For instance, you might be growing your company in a new region. This can be useful as it will allow you to tap into an untouched market. But, at the same time, you may find that there is no demand for your product in that particular area. If that’s the case, your business expansion could be doomed from the start. Without the right level of demand your company will almost certainly struggle to perform.

That is why you should be checking for levels of demand before you consider expanding. Ideally, you should hire a marketing expert. They will be able to check whether the type of expansion that you’re considering could lead to increased profits. Or, if you would be better expanding in a different location.

You may also find that you need to change the products or services that you offer in a chosen region. For instance, Haribo is a popular sweet brand that has taken off across the world. The sweets contain beef gelatine. In the middle east, the sweets sold are made from halal beef. This is to encourage people of different cultures to consume them and it has worked well. They aren’t the only business in the world that has adopted this practice either. As such, you may find that changing your product could be beneficial for your market performance.

It is dangerous to attempt to expand your business and then consider demand. It should always be the other way around. Otherwise, there is every possibility you never find the demand that you need to be a success on the market. In fact, the level of success that you previously gained could ultimately be lost. Don’t forget that when you expand you will have higher costs to cope with. If the demand isn’t there to account for this, your company will fail.

Efficiency, Turnaround, And Performance

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Efficiency must be on point, turnaround needs to be fast and performance needs to be at an optimum level. These are the three targets that you will have to meet for your business to be a success. If you want to make sure that you hit these targets, there’s only one solution that you must consider. You need to invest in new technology. Cloud tech, a fantastic computer network setup and equipment that processes at rapid speeds are all essential. If you think this sounds like a lot of money down the drain, you’re only half right.

Investing in tech like this will allow you to put your business in a prime position to perform on the market. It will stop you needing to worry that as your business expands, your business dwindles in quality. Customers and clients won’t put up with that and you shouldn’t expect them to. Investing in new tech may be expensive, but there is an easy solution. You can use an IT outsourcing service. With outsourced IT you can everything we have just discussed for a fraction of the cost. You can also guarantee that if there is any problems with this tech the issue is resolved as quickly as possible. An IT team will provide you with 24/7 support that you can count on.

Staff And New Recruits

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When your business expands you will be investing in the services of new employees. You must make sure that they are on the same level as your old team. Again, this is about retaining the same level of quality. If you can’t do that customers will notice and they will take action. Rather than buying from you, they will look for a business that can provide what they actually need. Again, hiring more workers is another expense but there’s also a way around this too. You can hire freelancers. With freelancers, you do have to pay the cost of additional workers. But you don’t take on the responsibilities or risks that more employees bring to your business model. Essentially, you keep your company streamlined and effective, driving force.

You can even think about avoiding more hires altogether. It is possible for business owners to instead use automated tech and other advanced equipment in the place of more workers. This has happened in a number of industries and there is nothing stopping yours being next. For instance, rather than hiring workers to answer the phones you can use automated software. It will save your business a fortune and keep your company efficient throughout the expansion.

Take this advice and your company will blossom beautifully through your expansion. You’ll be able to grow the business without the typical trials that business owners experience during this time.

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Grocery Shopping For Less

A weekly shopping trip for groceries includes food and basic hygiene items at different stores. There are tissues, toilet paper, feminine products, and cleaners, for instance. Americans with the discipline to follow a plan are saving money on their regular grocery bills with all or some of the ideas below (or see this list of coupons).

Plan Meals

Go out with an idea of what you will eat Monday through Saturday, at least, maybe leave Sunday as a “free day” where you treat yourself to something unexpected. It’s a burden to be always planning, planning, planning. Everyone needs a bit of spontaneity in their lives. They also need to know there are meals prepared ahead of time in case someone gets sick or an emergency arises. When planning meals, make at least one of them double-sized and immediately separate the dish in half. If you don’t, there’s the temptation among family members to go back for big, heaping seconds instead of more salad.

Prepare Healthy Snacks

A healthy snack is a plate of sliced carrots and cucumbers, not chips or chocolate. It is a nourishing combination of carbohydrates and protein that will fill you up between meals and fend off that hangry feeling. The best carbohydrates for the job are not refined ones made with flour, sugar, and margarine but whole foods. Baked items are fine as treats once in a while, but daily snacks like fruit and vegetables with a spoonful of peanut butter, a handful of nuts and seeds, or a big slice of cheese go a lot further. You feel fuller, faster, especially when the snack is paired with a glass of water or a cup of herbal tea on a cold day. Processed snacks leave you hungry and cost more money than real food. If snacks are chopped up ready to go at the start of the week, you’ll be unlikely to dive for junk during a long day. Keep sealed containers full of good things so that members of the household aren’t tempted to buy French fries and cheese twists.

Big Buys

Most of the foods you eat daily cannot be purchased online. Perishables such as meat, chicken, milk, and produce should be fresh from the grocery or farm market, even your own garden, if possible. Items such as laundry and dish-washing soap, feminine pads and tampons, shampoo, soap, and toilet tissue will last a long time in the cupboard. Can you make space? If so, order a lot of such items from online stores that reward consumers for ordering big volumes. They will deliver or ship your order for free if the bill is above a certain dollar amount. Calculate price per item too to ensure you are getting the very best price and a local bulk dealer like Costco can’t do it for less.

Join a Discount Store

Some stores, like Costco, sell membership, but consumers get their money back quickly, especially if they are providing for a large family. Take advantage of their free samples to fill up and avoid a trip to the food court at a local mall.

Use Coupons

A number of coupons really make a difference if you are still buying cereal and yogurt and haven’t managed to wean kids onto oatmeal or a healthy alternative to something made primarily with flour, sugar, and air. Yogurts are typically full of sugar, but they are better than custard and pudding, at least. Many dairy and cereal companies provide coupons which can be printed from the internet, cut from cereal boxes, or redeemed via Smartphone with an appropriate app. Even if you shop at regular grocery stores, the internet can come in handy for saving money.

Stay Away from Fast Food

It’s not just greasy and bad for you; fast food is expensive. Sure, there are places that make sandwiches, wraps, and salads, but anything substantial or healthy tends to cost more than a bun full of processed meat and cheese. As for soup and a salad, stores charge more than double what you would pay to make them at home. Usually, a fast-food soup option is the powdered stuff you overlooked at the supermarket because of its salt and MSG. Don’t pay double to eat something you avoid at the grocery store.

When an event is coming up that usually forces you out of the kitchen, prepare ahead of time. Create fillings for sandwiches from nut butters and honey, cooked chicken and salad, and keep containers on hand plus cutlery and plates. Compile salads or build sandwiches from a cooler during hockey practice.

Giving Gifts For Less

There is always a reason to buy presents for people and compare products. Every day is someone’s birthday or anniversary. Consumers wish to say thank you to friends who helped them move house. They send “Get Well Soon” messages to sick friends. There are congratulatory gifts for kids who finish high school, young adults and mature students who graduate from university, and anyone getting a new job or retiring. Weddings, babies, Christmas, Easter, and Valentines’ Day are just some of the other reasons for giving. Being generous can cost a person lots of money, so if this is you, budgeting time has come.

Pinch Pennies Proudly

No one wants to be the cheap person in a group; you get a reputation for meanness. At the same time, it is no fun being the poor one in a crowd either; the girl who can’t buy a round of drinks or is unable to afford a ticket to the movies with a girlfriend. You miss out on so much, ironic because the cause of penury might be over-generous behavior at other times. Here is how to manage to do things for others and for yourself: look for bargains, coupons, and ways to cut costs on gifts without cutting out opportunities for joyful giving.

Types of Gifts

Popular online gifts include flowers, candy and fresh-fruit bouquets, and hampers. Many people like to receive a balloon and a teddy bear or a floral arrangement. Candy bouquets don’t die, but you can eat them. Fresh fruit is practical and, when arranged artistically, beautiful as well. Hampers full of useful food fill a person with joy. Many hampers one can purchase online contain real food like fruit, cheese, and meats. Others are designed for parties at Christmas and New Year’s Eve. A delivery of wine would certainly go a long way towards creating a relaxed, festive spirit.

Costs of Online Gifts

Buying items to distribute personally is the cheaper way to go rather than ordering items for direct delivery. The client can buy things and arrange them in her own way before driving to a person’s home or posting items if they are compact, non-perishable, sturdy, and light. When numerous friends would benefit from the same sort of package, a consumer can buy lots of the same thing at the same time and take advantage of volume savings. These are applied to orders over a certain amount as determined by the vendor: 10, 50, 100, or more. With each increment, the price per article is reduced without needing vouchers or a special sale.

Ordering a nicely prepared gift item for someone and having it delivered by the vendor is going to cost more money than compiling and posting a gift independently. The trouble with gifts like these is that they really empty your pockets. With credit cards and PayPal, spending money is too easy; you barely notice money leaving your account and next thing you know, there’s nothing left for grocery shopping. Take care with internet shopping. Always try to remove the cost of delivery which can really add up over a year. Deliver gifts in person instead; that’s more friendly and enjoyable anyway. Stop by for tea and be open to hearing “thank you,” words so many individuals can’t handle. Giving is often easier than receiving.

Use Coupons

Several internet companies selling games subscriptions, food baskets, and craft collections offer coupons to shoppers as incentives to place an initial order and also for subsequent orders on specific items or terms. Take a portion off of the monthly fee either by percentage or dollar value. Shave away shipping costs for the first month or maybe even three months. Get a free gift you can put away for someone else. Buy a gift card as an alternative and have it shipped to your own address. That will be light to send in the mail with a card.

Read a catalog of past and present coupons on a discount-dedicated website, searching for deals from the past that include the top rated products. It might be worth biding your time because a certain bargain is sure to arise once more; the one that makes this present truly affordable. No one has to know you paid less than the regular price to set up a subscription or delivery. Send fine wine, craft beer, brainy games, or curated craft boxes to individuals, couples, or families. Play Santa Claus each year and stay within your budget.

Is Your Business in Need of a Comeback? You Can Make It Happen

Perhaps your business started great. Your plan kicked butt, cash flow was tremendous, and customers loved you. They kept coming back. Now it is a few years later (or more), and your business seems to be flat-lining. It needs a comeback, it needs jazzing up again, and you can make it happen. (No one else will!)

Identify What Is Going On
What is the problem, or more likely, what are the problems? Perhaps you simply need time off because you are burnt out. Train someone capable, and enjoy a month or six in the sun!
Chances are, though, that the issues run deeper, although burnout may be part of them. Companies fail for reasons including too-quick expansion, an inability to gauge the competition, and a business model that is not sustainable for the long term. It’s going to be painful, but you need to dig within yourself to figure out why your business is in a rut. Outside perspectives can be a great help, too.

Check Key Aspects
If you are still having problems identifying what is causing your downward spiral, look again at each aspect of your business. In fact, do this even if you think you know what is going on per #1 above. It could be that you have concurrent issues. Finances, processes, strategy, branding, products/services, customers, people, and marketing are all critical areas to study.

Get More Education
Your business could be in need of a comeback for a good reason! For example, maybe it grew too quickly and went stagnant from there, but its potential remains tremendous. Or perhaps you have a great idea but iffy execution. In many cases, furthering your education is just the trick in reviving your company. Schools that offer MBAs abound; for example, if you get more information about Washington State’s online mba options, you learn that business schools strengthen your collaboration skills, get you more comfortable with the world of international business, and introduce you to people who can change your life.

Seek Support
Your company is far from alone. As an article from the University of Maryland explains, Delta, General Motors, and even Apple (yes! Apple!) have all rebounded from serious trouble. You can seek support from fellow business people who have found success despite dire odds; inspirational books abound.

Bring in Someone from the Outside
This was touched on earlier and deserves more explanation. You might be too close to your business to see it’s flaws—and its potential. Outsiders such as consultants or even marketers can lend insight into the mistakes you are making as well as what you are doing well.
Of course, it is possible that you simply are ready to move on from your business. Maybe it has run its course, or your desire to own it has ended. If this is the case, you have plenty of options such as selling it or taking a largely hands-off role. In any case, the suggestions above should help you stage a business comeback—if that’s what you want. As a quote commonly attributed to Winston Churchill goes, “Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

Understanding Foreign Exchange Trade Trends & Signals

Forex trading is estimated to be the biggest financial market globally, with some $4 trillion traded daily. While this trade is largely dominated by private investment funds, corporations, and big banks, sources at International Settlements indicate that the retail segment is among the fastest-growing segments today. Currencies trading are more accessible today than ever before, and it has become very easy for the private trader to manage a Forex Trading account.

Trends Studies

Studying trends provides extra advantage to any Forex trading system or strategy. After carefully analysing the main trend, you can use it to your advantage through taking a position following the main trend direction and ignoring trades that go counter.

The market can only move in two directions: Up and Down. That means that at any specific moment you can discern the prevailing trend and then consistently stick to it. Even during markets stability, the dominant currency trend remains, and the majority of experienced traders will use such quiet periods to add and re-set their positions but all the time considering the dominant trend.

Key Trading Components

Many forces are behind the current boom, ranging from an explosion of online programmes that are making Forex trading easier than before to trade to volatility of the stock-market. One thing that each trader needs to be conversant with when engaging in Forex market trading is that two key components are necessary from the very start: a well-designed Forex trading system and a winning equity management strategy. When these two factors are absent, it will ultimately spell disaster for you as a trader or investor. An additional important feature you will need is what the industry calls “signals.”

Benefits of Forex Signals

Basically, signals are electronically transferred information bits which as a trader you can opt to be receiving through your cellular phone or via your e-mail. Signals coming through your mobile device have a huge benefit as no matter your location, you will still get this vital need-to-know trading information.

Most significantly, these signals benefit you as they inform you about the best times for selling or buying a currency in which you are trading actively. Additionally, signals alert you when to place those protective stop loss orders or profit limit orders, which is critical to your overall financial well-being. Because you can also access the information through the internet, you maintain round-the-clock access to important signals.

A Forex hub or trading platform is the one that collects the necessary information so that it is transformed into the signals. Another safeguard is in the fact that reputable Forex trading companies like CMC Markets are always very careful, consistently paying great attention to details whenever they are dispatching these signals to dealers, brokers, and individual investors.

Why Join Forex Trading

Joining and trading in the currency market is now relatively easy as with as little as $250, you can set up a Forex account. You also will not need to have lots of money in order to begin making great Forex returns from your investments. Anyone can now take advantage of the currency market benefits. When trading currencies, you will never have to pay anybody a sales commission.

  • Profit Potential –The potential for profit is what drives every investor, and the currency market certainly has plenty to offer. If you feel that a currency pair is climbing, all you need to do is buy. And if are convinced a currency pair is on its way down, simply sell. That is how it is easy to trade.
  • Trading Hours – The Forex market remains open 24 hours a day, practically all week. Therefore, whether you go to night school, work daytime, or perhaps you simply love getting up early, you will always find a time to engage in currency trades. Additionally, different currencies become more active at diverse times throughout the whole day; therefore, whenever you got time, there is certainly going to be something taking place which you could take advantage of.

Conclusion

To become a master in Forex trading, it is important to stay tuned to what leading financial papers have to say in their business sections and also stay abreast of major news channels. What is happening in major markets have a great influence on currency shifts. Keep a sharp eye on articles talking about leading currencies like the dollar or articles discussing the Federal Reserve, as these can help you in gauging what is happening in specific markets.

5 Tips to Command the Virtual Meeting Room

Conducting your first meeting or making your first presentation is hard enough, but it can surprisingly be even harder when it is done remotely through the use of conferencing software. The lack of people present in the room with you can alleviate some anxiety, but if you aren’t used to hosting online presentations, it can still seem impossible. This quick guide for first-timers will tell you all you need to conduct an online meeting with confidence and get your pitch accepted or make an impression:

1.       Perform a Test Run

Just as an actor wouldn’t put on a play without a dress rehearsal, you shouldn’t expect to hold your presentation without proper preparation. The Dummies Guide lists this as the most important part of holding meetings and cite the importance of writing up an agenda and preparing your time frame. You can go one further and perform a rehearsal presentation with a friend, colleague, or mentor who can coach you or provide some feedback to help spot any errors you make and eliminate the possibility of mistakes. It is also a good idea to test all of your equipment before the conference starts on the day to avoid being held back by technical gaffes.

2.       Prepare Your Space

If you were making a presentation in the board room, you wouldn’t think too much about preparing the space, other than laying out the refreshments. When you are making the presentation from your own home, it becomes a bit more difficult as there are too many outside distractions that could set you back and additional steps to be taken. Open up your webcam to ensure that nothing embarrassing is visible in the background. Double check yourself in a mirror to ensure you are presentable. Most importantly of all, ensure that everybody in your home knows about your meeting and that you can’t be disturbed while it is taking place. SkyMogul says that pets especially can be a problem and should be kept out of the room at all costs. If you have a particularly noisy pet who hates being left alone, slip them a treat or a toy just before the meeting starts to keep them distracted and quiet.

3.       Perform a System Check

Technical problems may be unavoidable at times, but they can still have a negative impact on how you are perceived by others. You won’t be able to solve them all of the time, but you can ensure your meeting has the best quality possible by checking your device’s technical specifications before your call. Check your internet connection and that your webcam and microphone settings are correctly configured. If you need to stream a video during your presentation, double check that too. If errors do occur, keep in mind that business video conferencing software such as BlueJeans has a technical support line available to help you with them. Just be sure to perform your checks and catch them in good time so that they won’t hold up your discussion. Another thing that many people forget about, particularly if they are using a PC, is scheduled computer updates that could cause your device to restart unexpectedly and take a while to recover.

4.       Be Talkative, but Give Others Their Turn

You want to come across as engaged and friendly to make your points more affective, but not by alienating others to do so. Make your point effectively, but remember that you are there to discuss and share your views with other people. Try to make it a 70/30 percent split at the minimum. Ensure that everybody in attendance has a chance to share their opinions and make a contribution and don’t allow yourself for anybody else to dominate the conversation or talk rudely over others. A lively conversation that everybody is engaged with will make much more of an impact than a group of people listening to a single person talking. Using open ended questions is one good way to do this.

5.       Have a Good Closing Statement

The final impression you give will likely be the thing that will stick in other people’s minds, so a good closing is essential. Not only do you want to ensure you finish on time rather than rambling on, find a good final statement to end on and then thank everybody for coming to the meeting. They will be likely to remember you and the points you made for a while afterwards.

Just as it would in the board room, proper preparation, a lively discussion, and an air of confidence will help you in your online conferences too. There are certain additional things to think about when you are online, particularly technical problems, but if you keep up good habits and conferencing etiquette then your meetings will all run smoothly and be successful.

1st Communion Dresses

When you were a girl, what was one thing that you used to dream about? Most young women dream about their wedding day thinking about their perfect wedding dress. Most young girls, provided that they are Catholic, think about their first communion dresses and they way they are going to look in one of them. At least it is going to give them a taste of how it is going to be when they get married.

One reason to give your girl that special 1st communion dresses is to make them feel unique on that very special day. There is a wide choice of girls communion dresses available on the market, you can click here to see for yourself. If you give it to your girl, at least you have a unique chance to do something nice for her, something she is guaranteed to remember for a very long time.

If you are unsure about what your little girl wants and what her desires are, you might want to sit with her in front of a PC and ask her what type of communion dress she would like to wear on that special day. It will give you a chance to talk about her desires, and it will be a chance for the two of you to do something together and spend some quality time together.

Courier Fleet Insurance

Some of us have their small businesses and some of us use vans on a regular basis for courier services. Indeed, the popularity of such services has grown very much over the last couple of years and during the years to come we should see the number growing even more.

When you own a fleet of vans you want them to be insured against anything bad that can happen on the road: accidents, theft, or even damage resulting from bad weather, which can happen in the UK rather often. If this is what you are after then you will be looking at Courier Fleet Insurance that is absolutely essential for any business like that.

If you have ever tried to look for this type of insurance then you know by now that not all insurance companies offer this type of insurance and even if they do it still does not have to mean that you are going to get a good deal on it anyway. The best piece of advice I would be willing to offer to you is to check those reliable companies such as the one I mentioned above.

As it is with all type of insurance policies you might be tempted to avoid buying such policies. If this is the case, you might want to think how expensive it would be to pay yourself for all the costs of any damage that could happen to any of your vans such as theft or accident. This is something that you definitely want to avoid. Of course, an accident or theft might never happen to you if you are lucky, but these are the things that you usually cannot control yourself especially if you aren’t the one driving the van. Even if you are a very careful and responsible driver it doesn’t necessarily have to mean that all the drivers employed by you are like this as well.

Getting Married in Style

Most women I know have been dreaming about their perfect wedding days from a very early age and rightfully so. After all, your wedding day is one of the best days of your life and you simply cannot ignore the fact that you only have one shot at looking that beautiful and stunning.

When it comes to Bridesmaid Dresses NZ there are many styles and even colours that you can go for. I have even seen some red dresses that are very romantic. If I were to get married again, I would probably go for a red dress this time as this particular colour is something that I rather fancy a lot.
bridesmaid dresses

When choosing your perfect bridesmaid dresses you might want to go for something that depicts your character and style very accurately. You might want to get rid of many traditions here. The colour white is no longer the only colour to get married in. There are many other shades such as red, blue, or silver to get married in. The key here is to find something you fancy and then stick with it. You might also want to try out a few dresses first and see how you like a few of them before making up your mind. That way you will know that you are not limited to one choice only, but that you have a wide array of options available to you.