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Making the Most Out of Your Seasonal Business

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Setting up a seasonal business requires different approaches to non-seasonal businesses. Whilst most companies have a steady stream of business all year round, seasonal businesses have a shorter time period to operate. Therefore, it is really important to optimize your opportunities in the peak period. Let’s look at some typical seasonal industries to help explain how you can make the most of your business:

Ski resort

Whilst there are many ski resorts that operate all year round, there is only Timberline Lodge in Oregon that opens all year round in the US. The rest of the ski resorts in the US are impacted by the weather/snowfall and therefore ski resort businesses need to make the most of the months that they are open. To do this, they need to have good planning and in the time when they are closed, they can still do key actions such as marketing to get people to book ahead to stay at the resort and work on attracting good staff.

Snow removal

Removing snow can be a very good industry to operate in because it does not require huge expenses or skill to do. You will require a snowplow or other snow removal machinery but you won’t have outlays like acquiring land, you will just need somewhere to keep your machinery and somewhere to set up an office for the admin work. Whilst it can be an easy industry to get started in, it is quite a high-risk job given the icy roads and possible cause of damage so it is important to get snow removal insurance to prevent going out of business if you have to pay out on property damage or other unexpected costs.

Farming

It is not just the colder climates that influence seasonal industries, as planting and harvesting is done in cycles. Planting in the US tends to be from April to June and then harvesting is completed in October and November. Therefore, employing farming staff in time for the cycles is crucial, as well as making sure that the machinery is all in working order before the two cycles commence. Farmers will usually work very long hours to maximize the output from the short time windows, or employ enough workers to cover shifts throughout the day.

94cs2295 (1) by USDAgov, on Flickr

Retail

The retail industry has fluctuations around holidays, with Christmas shopping being a particularly busy period where companies will often need to take on additional seasonal staff. Maintaining stock levels is naturally pivotal during such a busy period. Bars and restaurants are similar, getting busier around holiday times and celebrations like Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. Dedicating more planning around staff rotas and offering festive menus are good ways to make the most of the increased custom in the busy holiday period.

When you are working in a seasonal industry, there are many different factors to consider and good planning and time management within the busy periods is essential to the success of these types of companies.

Canberra ACT Tips for Mortgage Brokers & Home Loans

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In the Canberra area within the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), you may notice that there are is a big rise in the real estate market. Whether you’re buying your first home, wanting to have your dream home built, or whether you’re wanting to refinance your mortgage and not go through a specific bank, you are more than likely going to have to rely on a mortgage broker. In this guide, we’re going to give you some of the best advice on how to find the best mortgage broker.

What Makes a Good Mortgage Broker?

One of the biggest things that you’ll want to make sure of isn’t that your mortgage broker is just looking to close a “sale”. Instead, the best brokers actually will put customer service as their primary forte, and for good reasons. They’ll happily tell you about any commissions that they’ll receive. You want a mortgage broker to have a great attitude and be willing to tackle a lot of paperwork for you so you don’t have to do all of it with your busy life.

Check References, and Experience

When it comes to finding a good broker, don’t ever hesitate to look at reviews on the company to see how many of their 5-star reviews actually exist or are legitimate. Ask around, and see if anyone can give you a good word. Also, don’t just jump on the fact that some people are going to leave a bad review on search engines either, as often times, competitors actually pay people to do this to help boost their own reputation while hindering their competition’s.

You’ll want to make sure that your mortgage broker is qualified and fully educated, as well as have a Finance and Mortgage Broking certificate. Don’t just believe that this is enough though. You’ll also want to know just how long they’ve been in service as well.

Look Into their Lender’s List

Also called a lender panel, most brokers only have access to a variety of banks and lending companies that they can use. You’ll want to know exactly what lenders they have on this panel, and how many lenders they’ll have on the list. You’ll want to choose a broker that has a good number so they can regularly draw on them to make sure that you get the home loan you’re going to need.

Say What Again?

Making sure you understand every single technical term and lingo is important. Sometimes you may not understand a quip or phrase, and you need to ask them to explain it for you. The best mortgage brokers are willing to explain anything to you in layman’s terms so that you’ll understand every single detail of your loan process. They’ll also make sure that you get every single bit of what they say in writing.

Conclusion

When you’re wanting the best home loans Canberra, you’ll want to head over to Grapevine Mortgages, where they have years of experience in providing hassle-free experiences to hundreds of borrowers in the area. They offer their services free to you, and you can get the same interest rate or a better one by using their service, rather than having to do all of the hard work by yourself.

 

3 Reasons to Visit Alaska

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With abundant wildlife and gorgeous scenery, Alaska is a great spot to vacation. Although Alaska isn’t typically considered a vacation hotspot, the state is full of beautiful glaciers and mountains along with a unique culture and historic mining towns. If you’re interested in visiting the Last Frontier, here are some more reasons to plan a vacation to Alaska.

Remote wilderness and free roaming wildlife

The 49th state is full of majestic wildlife and jaw-dropping scenery. From moose and caribou to eagles and whales, Alaska has no shortage of wildlife. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a sanctuary dedicated to preserving wildlife, is an ideal spot for vacationers looking to see and learn more about Alaska’s wildlife.

Denali National Park is another spot to view Alaska’s best wildlife. With six million acres of wild land, visitors can drive through Denali and take in views of snowy mountains and alpine tundra. Visitors may also spot wild animals roaming through the unfenced lands. Denali National Park is the perfect getaway for travelers looking for a sense of solitude and tranquility.

Visitors looking to explore Alaska’s vast landscape should embark on a nature trail expedition. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to summit a mountain to take in the gorgeous scenery and scale of Alaska’s mountains. Both small towns and big cities are great spots to find nature trails with access to mountains.

Endless adventure

There’s endless opportunities for adventure in Alaska. Whether you’re into hiking, kayaking, or fishing, Alaska is the place for you. Try a day cruise by the coastal mountains to take in the immensity of Alaska’s scenery against the clear blue waters. Together with the vast green mountainside and waterfalls, tidewater glaciers and marine wildlife make a day cruise in Alaska an unforgettable experience.

If you’re looking for a more hands-on experience, Alaska’s all-inclusive fishing lodges deliver a one-of-a-kind experience for travelers. All-inclusive fishing lodges provide accommodation, equipment, boats and fuel, as well as guiding, meals, and fish processing. Since everything you need will be taken care of, all you need to worry about is packing your personal belongings. If you’re interested in a fishing vacation in Alaska, try searching “Alaska fishing lodges all inclusive” for more information.

Kayaking is another great option for adventure seekers. Kayaking is a quiet and intimate experience, allowing travelers to connect to the nature around them. When you’re paddling in a kayak, Alaska’s vast wilderness and glassy waters will make you feel at peace with the surrounding mountains.

Take a dip in the hot springs

Although Alaska is known for its cold, the state is full of hot springs. Whether you’re looking to take a relaxing dip in the springs or want to find a spot to view the northern lights, traveling to Alaska’s hot springs is a must for vacationers.

Chena Hot Springs is often considered Alaska’s most popular hot spring and is easily accessible to tourists. Just a 90-minute drive from Fairbanks, the spring has a natural outdoor hot spring, as well as indoor tubs and a swimming pool tapped from the mineral spring. 

Alaska’s hot springs are a world-renowned tourist destination any time of the year. In addition to the hot springs, there are a variety of other options for travelers. From the Ice Museum to flightseeing tours, there’s plenty to see and explore in the Chena area. Plus, if the weather and darkness permits, some lucky tourists might even get the perfect opportunity to view the northern lights.

Whether you’re interested in making a once-in-a-lifetime trip or a returning visit, Alaska’s boundless scenery and endless opportunities for adventure make the state a great vacation spot for any kind of traveler.

What are the Differences Between the Main Stock Charts

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So, you have been researching current events and stock trading software. Good for you! Just jumping right in and familiarizing yourself with the stock market is one of the best things that you can do to begin learning how to successfully invest. With that being said, there is a lot of information that is being rapidly thrown at you that it can be difficult if you aren’t a seasoned investor to make sense of it. One of the main tools that investors use to predict the direction that a company’s value may go within a specific time period is to use a stock chart. But there are so many. Below, we have listed the main charts that investors use, what they show, and some of the pros and cons of using them.

Line Stock Chart

Perhaps the most elementary chart. It is just a solid line that either moves up or down. Each point (wherever the line moves) is at a fixed interval, which can be set to whatever amount of time has passed whether it be minutes, hours, days, or even months. At the end of the time period that it represents, you will be able to draw a line from the beginning of the graph to the end and either have a line that is pointing upward (increasing in value) or downward (decreasing in value).

This is great for a quick look at whether the company is increasing or decreasing in value over a certain period of time. However, it will not show the opening price, highs, or lows which are helpful in determining if that time period the market was bullish or bearish.

Candlestick Charts (Japanese Method)

This is a highly visual method of looking at the overview of a stock’s behavior over a set period of time. Each stick will look like a candlestick and some will be filled and others will be open. They give a quick look at what the price opening, high, low, and closing prices are as well as volume. This is a great way to get a lot of information really quickly about a particular company, but there are multiple kinds of candlestick charts, which can be somewhat intimidating to the new investor by displaying too much information.

High Low Close Bar Stock Charts (HLC)

These are somewhere between the line chart and candlestick. They will show the stock’s highest point, lowest, and the price at which it is closed. Unfortunately, it doesn’t show the opening price which is an essential frame of reference when determining if the stock’s price has increased or decreased. However, it will show a greater range of days that the stock was being traded and if it is closing near the high, it will help identify if it the marketing is being bullish, or bearish if it is closing near its low.

Open High Low Close Bar Chart (OHLC)

This adds the opening price that the HLC stock chart left off. It will give the frame of reference so it will indicate if the value of the stock is increasing or decreasing, and the height of the bar shows the volume at which it is trading. It doesn’t show as much information as the candlestick charts and others that incorporate it, but it does give a more informational look at a stock’s behavior than just the simple line chart so you can make a more educated guess on whether the stock is going to increase in value by the time that you want to sell. This one is also popular among professional investors.

Conclusion

There are many different types of stock charts and, at the end of the day, each have something that is good and something that could be better, but the best one is the one that gives you the information you need to make a good decision. If you work better with looking at a simple charts and making sense of the news, then that is the right one. If you need the information presented more visually than reading, then you may find the candlestick charts to be better for you. At www.abovethegreenline.com, you can have access to a wide array of technical analyses to help you make a wise choice whether to buy or sell. This is mostly personal preference. So, you will be best served by learning the one that you work best with and learn it as well as you can.

The Three Elements of a Good Photo

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These days, it seems like everyone is a photographer. With the rise of social media and, more specifically, Instagram, people are placing more and more stress on the value of a good, high quality photograph. Posting photos with great lighting, symmetry, and a good color theme can actually gain you followers, which will boost your online reach. If you want to produce better photos and improve your photographic talent and your online persona, you will need to focus on three different areas. If you want to snap better shots, keep reading.

1. Focus on composition
 Getting the perfect composition for your photograph can be really tough, especially if you are an amateur photographer. However, there are some things you can keep in mind without purchasing expensive professional equipment or getting a bachelors in photography. For one, you should always keep in mind the lighting for your photographs. Light can make or break a photo. If you want to capture a subject in the best light possible, a good bet is to take a photo outside during “golden hour.” Golden hour typically takes place in the very first hour of sunlight or very last hour of sunlight of the day. The lighting is warm, soft, and allows the photographer to capture beautiful shadows.

Another part of composition to keep in mind is color. This could be the color of the environment, the subject’s clothing, or the colors you add in in the editing phase, such as colors from filters. If you are shooting for a comprehensive and aesthetically pleasing grid on your Instagram page, you will want to make sure the photos you post are in a similar color theme.

2. Be a storyteller
 Another thing to keep in mind while you are taking your photos is that for a truly great photo, there should be an element of storytelling in the frame. Perhaps that means you are shooting a candid photograph, or a scene from a family vacation. No matter what the subject is, it is important to know why you are taking the photo. You could ask yourself the following questions: What is going on in this picture? What are the feelings or emotions in the scene? Why should I capture this moment?

Answering these questions will give your photos more life. The answers will also help you eventually edit your photos, because it will give you clues as to the type of lighting and colors you may want to utilize. For instance, for a lighthearted candid shot of a child blowing out birthday candles, you may want to incorporate brighter colors like yellows and oranges to convey a happier emotion.

3. Stay organized

The most important tip for creating high quality images that have meaning, beauty, and life, is to stay as organized as possible. After all, it does not matter how beautiful your photos turn out if you cannot keep track of them across all your smart devices. Using a smart photo manager is your best bet for staying organized when it comes to sharing online pictures with friends or for business. Ibi, a photo manager from Sandisk available on ibi.com, is a great way to track and sync photos across your computer, phone, and other smart devices. It also makes it easy to snap photos to share with friends, which will come in handy if you’re trying to improve that Instagram account! Having a smart photo manager will make it way easier for you to build confidence as a photographer, as you will have all of your shots in one place. You can think of it as a small battle station for your new hobby in photography.

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