Being a mom is a juggling act. Sometimes when life gets busy you can lose track of your finances. Maybe you miss a payment one month. No big deal? Well, it is if it happens more than once and you are trying to apply for a loan. Your credit rating will slide if you aren’t on top of things. Here’s how to whip it back into shape if it has gone for a dive.

Never miss a payment

In many instances, a poor credit rating can be a result of a disorganized lifestyle. You may have the money to pay your bills, but you are missing your regular payment due dates. In this case, automatic payments will go a long way to getting you back where you should be. Schedule your payments to happen throughout the month, coinciding with your pay cheques, so that your bank account isn’t emptied all at once. For example, rent comes out on the first of the month, cable at the end of the first week, Internet on the second and cell phone bill on the third.  If you show that you can pay on time, your credit rating will begin to climb again.

Pay more than the minimum

Ideally, you will pay your credit card off every month. If this isn’t possible, try to keep your running debt load under 30% of your allowable amount. This will protect you from higher interest rates and monthly fees. When you put some money toward your credit card balance each month, make every effort to pay more than the minimum amount due. You also need to look at other areas of your life where credit is involved. If you can reduce your debt load by eliminating a car payment, this will immediately improve your debt ratio and credit score. You can also ask your lender to increase your credit rating for this purpose. If you have been making regular payments, there is no reason why they shouldn’t raise your limit, especially if it is going to help your credit score.

Don’t allow numerous inquiries

If you are shopping around for a mortgage or a new car, or checking your own credit score, it doesn’t have much of an effect on your credit rating. These are called “single probe” inquiries. But if you are applying for every store credit card that is offered to you, those “hard inquiries” add up. Half a dozen credit rating inquiries in one year can be detrimental to your credit worthiness.

Credit ratings are a snapshot of your life at the moment the inquiry is made. If you just bought a car, paid a kid’s university tuition and took a trip somewhere, you might be hurting credit-wise. Try to spread out your bigger expenditures over the year so that they don’t all happen at once, leaving you in a tough spot with high payments to make. By following these steps and monitoring your own finances carefully throughout the year, you should score higher within a year.

 The affordability and availability of childcare remains a major issue in Australia.  Costs have risen dramatically in recent years, increasing more than 44% between 2009 and 2014 alone.  The National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (PDF) suggests that the average cost of childcare has risen to $75 dollars a day, up from $30 in 2003.

While successive federal governments have increased the amount of assistance available for childcare, it is still quite expensive, with most families paying between $2,000 to $6,500 per year for a single childcare placement.

Families with high incomes can pay even more if they pass the income threshold for government assistance.  Some families have to bare the entire cost of their childcare — costing as much as $35,000 per year.

Fortunately, there are some simple techniques you can employ to decrease childcare costs!  Here are five of the best.

#1 — Get your friends and family involved
The simplest way to reduce childcare costs is to reduce the time that your child spends in a childcare centre.  Consider the following approaches:

• Ask your parents if they can babysit your children 1 day per week
  Grandparents love to spend time with their grandchildren.  Instead of popping over on a weekend, ask them if they are willing to look after your children 1 day each week.  It can be a very rewarding arrangement for both the grandparents and their grandchildren.
• Swap childcare services with friends and family members
  If you are working part time and have a friend or family member in the same situation, ask them to swap childcare services.  You could look after their child one day a week and they can look after yours one day a week.
• Ask younger family members if you can pay them to babysit
  Many friends and family members would be happy to babysit for one or two days a week for a small fee.  Having a babysitter available also gives you more flexibility when it comes to childcare.

#2 — Employ a nanny or au pair
If your family obtains limited assistance from the government or you are located in an area with limited childcare centres, it may be worth considering a nanny or au pair.  You will have a much more flexible and convenient arrangement, where you can dictate how much assistance you require.  You can choose a carer who is ideally suited for your children.

The difficulty with using a nanny of au pair is locating one that is trustworthy, reliable, and professional.  Here are a few tips for finding a suitable great nanny or au pair:

• Only use experienced nannies or au pairs with great references
  Look for experienced carers who have excellent references.  Call each reference yourself and ask them detailed question about the carer’s job performance.
• Use specialist websites to locate the perfect nanny or au pair
  There are a variety of websites which let you browse nannies and au pairs.  Using these websites can help you quickly identify carers with the right experience, skills, qualifications, and availability.
• Perform a police check of all applicants
  It is important to check the suitability of all candidates with a police check.  This will tell you if the nanny or au pair has had a checkered past.  A police check will also provide you with some information about their reliability and suitability for the position.  It is simple to perform a police check online, with many websites offering the service.

#3 — Obtain all of the government and employer assistance available
The types of financial assistance available for childcare can change over time.  As you change employers you may gain or lose access to employer-based assistance packages.  As your income changes, you may gain or lose access to government assistance.  If your employment situation changes, talk to the human resources department to understand how it may affect your childcare arrangements.

Governments are also tweaking childcare assistance programs fairly often.  The next major change is occurring in July 2017, when the federal government introduces the Child Care Subsidy (CCS).  This program will replace some existing schemes, including the Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate.

The new program changes the size of payments, how many hours of assistance parents can claim, and much more.  It also introduces a Nanny Pilot Programme, where parents who employ a nanny can receive additional assistance.  You can read an article here to understand how these changes may affect you.

#4 — Choose childcare centres that offer more benefits
The level of assistance provided by childcare providers can vary greatly.  For example, some childcare centres will provide all meals for your children, while others expect parents to cover that cost.  Some childcare centres have strict rules about parents who turn up late when picking up a child, while others are more forgiving.  Some childcare centres have special activities and outings that must be paid for by the parent.  Make sure you include all financial aspects when comparing childcare centres.

#5 — Save money on other aspects of your child’s life
You can reduce other expenses and put that money towards childcare costs.  Here are a few simple suggestions:

• Buy food in bulk and prepare meals in advance
• Purchase clothes from other mothers with children who have grown out of them
• Cook more often instead of taking your children to fast food restaurants
• Share childcare transport costs with other families
• Limit spending on toys — do they really need 10 teddy bears?

I hope you enjoyed reading 5 Ways To Save Money On Childcare!  By following these tips, you will be able to reduce your childcare costs and relieve some financial pressure.

Public Relations can be defined as a strategic communication process that is mutually beneficial to both consumers and businesses. There is a common misconception that public relations are the same as marketing; marketing involves promoting and advertising a product or service whereas public relations involves communicating with your consumers in order to build a relationship. Another misconception is that having good public relations is inexpensive and easy to do. Maintaining good public relations is a very time consuming process, which is why many businesses have their own PR department as other people are too busy to undertake tasks such as responding to people on social media and answering any questions that people may have.

Although PR is not the same as marketing it is still a very useful tool for promoting your business. First and foremost, having an open line of communication with your consumers allows you to see what their opinions are and what they need. The most common form of this communication comes through social media, where consumers will post questions or file complaints about the product or service you are offering. By having a person or team that can respond to these questions and complaints you build up a good reputation and respect from the consumer, as they will feel that their opinion is valued and that you are changing your business thanks to them.

Public Relations can also be improved by other methods than interacting with consumers. Another way to improve public relations would be to do something that is portrayed in a positive light by the media. An example of this would be to do things that are considered charitable or ethical, such as sourcing your products from locations that don’t exploit the local workforce/environment or by running or supporting charitable events. The media then may pick up on this work and write an article or run a news story about it. This is in a sense even better than advertising as your business is being supported by the media who are generally considered not to be bias and so when consumers see an unbiased organisation supporting a business they will be much more likely to believe that you are a reputable company and so you will be more likely to gain the consumers respect and sometimes even gain their business than by just advertising your product, highlighting the importance of good public relations.

When consumers see your business in a good light they will be more likely to return as customers again than go to a competitor as they feel that they are more valued at your business. They will also be more likely to recommend you to other people as again, they see you in a good light and so will actually like you as a company. This then, means that having good PR can increase the amount of both repeat customers and new customers that you get, as if people like your company they will in essence advertise for you since they will recommend your business.

Public Relations therefore are a key way to promote your business, allowing you to gain the respect and loyalty of your consumers as well as having them in essence advertise for you as they promote your business through recommendations and word of mouth. Gaining the respect of the media can sometimes even be better than advertising itself as having an unbiased organisation highlight the positive things about your business will lead to more respect and potentially more business from consumers than advertising alone could hope to do.

For more information, visit: Vantage PR.

It sometimes feels weird being called a small business. But it essentially means a startup. A business without huge staff on their payroll and enormous logistical problems. However, a small business does come with certain problems that need to be dealt with. How you address them is your own business, and it may depend on what you want in the future. These are some of the basics you should think about in business that can address issues and help you run strong. Good luck in your entrepreneurial endeavors.

In the first instance, when you are running your business from your home or the cheapest office you can find you may want to project a better image of yourself. You can do this by looking for a small business virtual address. You should also try to ensure the email address you are using has your business name tagged. It looks far more professional and gives a better first impression for those when they first deal with you. Image is everything in business.

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You should be looking to get your visibility out there too. Again, this is a major factor in the business world. If nobody knows about you then how can you expect them to purchase from you? Get your name out there. Exploit social media. Create a business page and post quality content with links back to your site. Look at relevant blogs and start to target key advertising streams. You can keep track of everything by using Google analytics. You can also think about using a marketing video. They are the best way of increasing brand visibility, far easier to watch something that read something. You may need help though, as creating a market video can be quite daunting.

You should also get to the relevant trade shows that are near you. There are all different kinds of trade shows and you should try to ensure your business is represented. Get a good patch and use branded items to showcase your business to people who have taken the time to come and see it. These are usually people who are actively looking to part with their money, otherwise why go to the trade show? Take your best speaker and let your passion shine through when talking about your products or services. Samples are a good bet too.

Consider creating an app too. A mark of a good business in this day and age is that of a good app. It can really make the difference and open up your business to those who love to use apps to shop and solicit certain services. Ensure it is of a certain quality otherwise you are going to end up suffering a hit to your reputation, find a great app developer and take their advice on board. It may seem a bit far in advance to create an app. But look at your competitors and you will see that there are apps out there already. If you want to compete with the leaders in your field try to get one set up as soon as possible.

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Success in business relies on many different factors, but one of the most important ones is professionalism. When it comes to crafting a brand image which impresses potential customers or keeping your current clientbase happy with products and services so that they come back for more, the route to achieving this always comes back to a professional and efficient service.

Whilst customers want to see a friendly, personal face when engaging with businesses, they want a solid and organised business even more than that; people want to know that the products or services they’re buying have been crafted by employees with expertise and dedication to their work. If you’re wondering how to project the image of professionalism within your business, here are a few creative ideas for doing so.

The personal touch.

A business which goes above and beyond to make an impression is one which is sure not only to turn heads, but to impress its target audience. Something as simple as a beautifully and neatly handwritten note could really stand out to potential clients and send a message that your company is dedicated to creating an outstanding product with regards to something as straightforward as correspondence. In an age where most businesses simply use emails to contact potential clients, your business will stand out as an organisation so professional that you put time and care into the simplest of messages.

Payments.

The professionalism of a business is often marked by its cash flow, as shallow as that may seem. It’s important that you don’t mess up the transactional process either with customers or other businesses, otherwise you muddy the reputation your business is trying to form as a professional, organised and stable organisation. You could check out some online options for printing corporate checks, as this would make the payment process far easier than manually creating a check or relying on your local bank to get back to you. In the modern age, your business needs to be using the quickest and most efficient solutions available, as this makes the right impression on clients and fellow businesses.

Get online marketing right.

In the modern age, a business’ brand is mostly projected through the internet. Your target audience is essentially entirely based online, as the marketing methods of traditional forms are slowly losing popularity. If you want to make your business appear professional, then, the key is to figure out how to do so online. It all begins with your website, and you’ll need to be spending a fair bit of money on an official domain name for your business, as you don’t want to portray an amateurish image. Using a responsive web layout is also important, as customers want to be able to browse your website whether they’re using their phone, tablet or laptop; if the design of your website isn’t responsive and doesn’t look neat and tidy on devices of all screen sizes, then your professional image will be tarnished in the eyes of visitors.

A memorable brand design.

At the end of the day, people are captivated by intriguing messages and powerful imagery. Your brand won’t look professional with a cheap, tacky logo, so it’s important that you create something memorable, unique but well-designed. Spending money on a proper graphic designer to get this done for you is important, as your business will struggle to project a professional image without a professional-looking brand.

Millions of Americans dream of becoming their own bosses and leaving the confines of a day job. Unfortunately, many of those people see the sheer number of obstacles standing in the way of realizing that dream and give up.

What you may not realize is that there are ways to get your dream business up and running without spending a fortune in start-up costs. The key might be to begin your business as a home-based concern on a shoe-string budget.

Start Small

Your end goal might be to own and run a huge business empire, but there’s nothing wrong with testing out your idea on a smaller scale first. There are plenty of successful big businesses operating today that began life from a spare room or garage in someone’s home.

The best part about the advent of the internet is that it’s possible for almost anyone to set up a website and start operating a business from home. The most successful online businesses invest in a domain name and pay for the site to be hosted with a trusted web hosting company.

Microwork

In the early days of running a home business, it can be tricky to find ways to keep the income rolling in. Your working day might be filled with working on building your fledgling empire, so it’s unlikely you’ll have a lot of spare time to devote to working for an hourly wage.

Fortunately, you can choose to take up some microwork. You can work on your own schedule whenever you have the time and you get to choose which jobs you do. Microwork is simply small, quick tasks that take a couple of minutes of your time. In exchange, you might earn a few cents up to a few dollars.

The income may not be great, but it’s still a helpful way to earn a few extra dollars while you’re building up your home business without taking the focus away from your dream.

Choose Your Business Model

Your eventual dream business might be a multi-story retail building, but there’s nothing wrong with beginning your venture as an online e-commerce operation. Launching a website and testing out your product line from an online retail outlet can be a great way to gauge the strength of your idea without spending a fortune.

You also have the opportunity to iron out any wrinkles in your business model and see if you really enjoy the industry you’ve chosen.

Besides, beginning your home business online helps build your brand recognition, gain loyal customers, and start bringing income into your fledgling enterprise. As your online venture grows, you can invest your profits into future business expansion.

Find Funding to Expand

The biggest hurdle most people need to overcome when starting a new business venture is finding the capital to get off the ground and pay for expansion as the business grows. Fortunately, there are plenty of sources of capital available to help you get what you need.

You could save money out of your salary to pay for your start-up costs over a period of time. Alternatively, you might seek funding from crowdsourcing, or apply for a range of government grants, or even submit an application for a business start-up loan.

If you choose to source funding from a grant or a loan, take time to learn more about the application before you submit anything. When you understand the criteria for each approval, you’re in a stronger position to put together a strong application that reduces the chances of being rejected.

Diversify Income Streams

Have you ever heard the saying ‘don’t put all your eggs in the same basket’? In business terminology, this is known as ‘broadening your debtor base’. Essentially, any successful small business owner understands the importance of diversifying the income streams coming into the business.

Your start-up online enterprise might rely on sales of your top-selling products. However, there are opportunities to increase your business cash flow by monetizing other aspects of your business.

There are plenty of online retail giants out there willing to pay you a healthy commission for referring customers to their e-commerce stores. For example, Amazon will pay you a commission if a customer clicks through on a link from your site over to theirs to complete a purchase.

If you don’t have the funding to get started with your own range of products, your business can still grow based on referring your customers to buy from trusted affiliate partners.

Blogging

Your e-commerce website might be solely focused on your products, but almost every successful business also has a blog associated with the primary business site. The blog is intended to keep customers informed about your products and business services.

You can use your blog to announce new product launches. You might choose to use it to inform visitors about the benefits of dealing with your business as opposed to your competitors.

Blog posts can also be shared on your social media networks, which can increase the visibility of your content and boost awareness of your brand.

Your blog posts might provide links to individual products within your range, which can boost your click-through rate. You might choose to post reviews of various products or publish feedback or questions from previous customers,

Regardless of the reason, people follow good content that solves a problem for them. It’s also possible to monetize your blog and add to your total business income.

If you’re promoting affiliate links, you can place those in the sidebar alongside your posts. If you’re posting reviews, you can include your affiliate links within the content. Likewise, you can link directly to your own products.

Working from home offers plenty of flexibility and freedom, but it does offer the potential to become a profitable business enterprise. The key to building your dream business is to start small and keep building on your foundations until your dream becomes your reality.