If you are looking to add value to your home, be it to make it more perfect your needs or because you have plans to sell it, then you don’t want to invest money in a home remodeling project that has a low return on investment. However, determining what remodeling projects will bring the biggest bang for your buck might be a challenge – especially if you have a limited budget!In recent years, there has been a resurgence of homeowners looking for ways to give their home’s a new look – but not every upgrade has an ROI worth talking about. Here are some of the top home remodeling projects for garnering a high ROI.· Landscaping – While not actually a home remodeling project of the building type, research has shown that yards where the lawn is well-maintained and logically laid out can make a huge difference in the curb appeal of your home and thus, how much you can boost your home’s equity.· New Roof – Want to get as much as a 105% ROI on a home remodeling project? Then talk to your local roofer about upgrading your home’s roof. While a new roof may not be the sexiest home remodeling project, it is one with a high return!· Hardwood Floors – These too bring a huge ROI – in fact it is nearly a 100% ROI – perhaps more should you decide to do the work yourself, or happen to discover that underneath those tired carpets you have gorgeous hardwoods just waiting to be refinished.· Patio or Deck – Boost your living and entertaining space while increasing your home’s value. Choose building materials known for longevity and get more value for your investment.· Doors – From upgrading the front door to a safer more secure option such as a steel entry door to replacing old outdated garage doors for newer ones with better features and more insulation, upgrading the quality of your home’s doors can have a significant uptick in the value of your home.· Kitchen Remodel – A minor kitchen remodel, say new countertops or cabinetry, can improve your home’s resale value by as much as 80%.· Bathroom Remodels – This is a prime way to recoup a solid ROI. A home remodel that involves updating a bathroom with new fixtures, lighting and vanity, or perhaps adding anew bathroom to home’s layout are a great way to improve your home’s resale value and living space. It should be noted that you don’t want to make huge changes, however, as those can sometimes have a negative affect or not have as high an ROI.Remodeling one’s home can be a fun project, whether you are doing to improve the resale value or simply to make your home more suited to your needs. If you have questions about improving your home’s resale value, then now is the to talk to a local home remodeling team and get started on crafting a home design that works for needs and your budget.

14 Strategies We Attribute to Our Recent Business Excellence AwardOut of the blue, I received an email from the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce one day notifying me that we were nominated for a 2016 Business Excellence award.Say what?Once I got past my shock and disbelief that they must have the wrong Susan… it began to sink in that someone out there thought we were worthy enough of this nomination. Wow, what an honour!Part of the nomination process consisted of a 30-minute interview in front of a 3-judge panel. Imagine being forced to actually brag about yourself for a half an hour! Talk about squirming in my seat!Fast forward to last week where the awards ceremony took place. Much to my relief, our category was up first so I could relax the rest of the evening.To be honest, I wasn’t all that anxious – I knew the odds of winning was only 1 in 7 so I waited patiently for the winner’s name to be announced, not at all expecting it to be us.But it was! We were declared the winner!Say WHAT???Shock and disbelief once again came over me as I took a moment to grasp what just happened. Walking to the stage was quite the blur but I managed to do it without tripping up the stairs to get our award.In the aftermath of winning this wonderful recognition, I reflected some more about that judge’s interview and how they deemed us the winner from the other worthy nominees in our category.With that in mind, I wanted to share some of the attributes I feel helped us win this prestigious award. Without further ado, here’s what it took for me to create an award-winning business:1) Be Passionate About What You DoWe are not the first business I’ve created; there’s been plenty others ranging from creating craft pieces to faux finish painting. But no matter what I did, I was very passionate about it.Don’t waste your time trying to run a business just to make money. You’re going to tire of it very quickly and it will be harder to make sales.But when you’re passionate about what you do, others will immediately see that and will be drawn to you like a magnet.2) Love Working With the People You Serve and Offer Exceptional Customer Service One of the truest joys I receive is the knowing how much we are able to help a new business owner get their online presence up and running. Being a part of their joy at seeing their dream materialize into something tangible gives me just as much joy.If you avoid answering the phone or responding to emails because you dread having to talk to a client, then you need to adjust your marketing so you attract the right people to work with.If you don’t love who you’re working with, then it’s hard to establish a successful business that needs to cater to your clients by making customer service a #1 priority. And that means answering the phone, responding to emails in a prompt manner, and treating every person as if they were your only client. And when you’re attracting your perfect ideal client, then this should be easy to do.Make your business about them, not you. Just remember, if you had no clients, then you’d have no business.3) Know Your StuffBefore even thinking about starting a web development/digital marketing business, I ensured I got the education I needed first. I attended the Vancouver Film School in their Multi-Media program and then later earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Computer Information Systems (with an A+ GPA).Not to mention the countless online courses I’ve taken over the years to ensure my skills are kept up-to-date with this ever changing industry.Sadly, I see a lot of entrepreneurs wanting to start a business with not a lot of skills or experience under their belt and then they wonder why they’re struggling.Reading a book or taking one on-line course is probably not enough to reach award-winning status. But if you’re passionate about building a successful business, you’ll find a way to ensure you become as qualified as needed.4) Be CommittedIs working 15 hour days, 6-7 days a week committed enough? Yep, that’s what Daniel and I do every week. We have to in order to fulfil points 2 and 3 above.It takes a lot of time and effort to ensure your clients are taken care of properly. You also need a “do whatever it takes” level of commitment.You might not need to work such long hours as us and trust me, we’re continually working towards lessening that kind of volume but until then, we are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure our business is successful. Are you?5) Be ConsistentConsistency shows up in many forms when running a successful business. For me, it’s being consistent with my message, my brand, my Social Media presence, my newsletters, my team management, and the level of quality we bring to our clients.Do I miss sometimes? Absolutely. But being consistent in these areas are very important to me, and I do what needs to be done in order to show up the best I can for my team and our clients.Without consistency, it’s hard to create brand ambassadors (such as the ones who nominate you for an award), loyal team members, and a steady flow of clients.Whatever you have decided to commit to, be consistent at it and you’ll be amazed at how things start to flow your way.6) Surround Yourself With a Dedicated and Knowledgeable TeamI started off as a one-woman show. Because of my educational background, I was able to do the design, build and marketing of a website quite easily. I’m what you would call a “generalist”, someone who knows a lot of about a lot of things and is a specialist in a few areas.But my one-woman show was not going to create a successful business. Especially in this technologically-driven industry. It quickly became apparent my skillset was only going to get me so far.So my first hire was someone who could offset my biggest weakness. Warren was a student at UFV and applied for my part time programmer position. He was a perfect complement to our company and the moment he came on board, I was relieved of having to do all the site builds myself. I could then take that time and focus on building the business instead.It’s tough to try and do everything yourself when it comes to running a business. Sure, there are expenses involved in hiring but if you hire smart, keep an eye on your bottom line, and know when to let go of those that aren’t serving you best, your business will escalate far quicker than if you try to struggle with everything yourself.This topic is worthy of a whole article itself so I encourage you to read How to Take a Solo-Entrepreneurship to the Next Level for more.7) Have Honesty, Authenticity and Gratitude be a Part of Your Daily LifeIt’s sad I even need to list this as an attribute but I’ve been in business long enough to know not everyone adheres to these principles.To me, this is a no-brainer – I’m not certain I could live any other way?But judging from the stories I hear from new clients about how they were treated by their previous web developer, it sounds like many people need to be reminded of this.No business will thrive without honesty and integrity. And a little secret: gratitude will not only make your business thrive, but your whole life too. Give it a try and see what I mean.8) PersevereEvery business, including ours, has its ups and downs. The key to success is to not let those “downs” overcome your enthusiasm. Pick yourself back up, learn from whatever lesson there was to be learned, and keep moving forward.If we had quit when we only had $20 credit left on our credit cards at Christmas time just a handful of years ago, we wouldn’t be award winners now!9) Invest in Your BusinessBuilding the company has been one investment after another. It never ends really.There’s always something that needs to be worked on. Here’s a short list of my recommendations on where you need to invest in your business:a.Branding & Websiteb.Marketingc.Educationd.Building a Team10) Understand You’re Running a Business, Not a Hobby.I think this is an important distinction to make and one many entrepreneurs aren’t differentiating.I’ve always looked at our company as a business and that’s mostly due to my business mind and having a business degree.But for those that simply are passionate about something and have a dream to make money off of it, it’s hard to know exactly HOW to turn that dream into a business.They end up blindly doing what they think they should be doing, all by themselves, in order to save money (or not spend money they don’t have) and hope for the best.If this sounds familiar, I’m adding another business investment to consider as your top priority: A business coach or mentor. ASAP. Otherwise, you’ll probably end up just running a hobby.11) Set up a Systemized Business StructureI’ve worked with a lot of clients over the years. Some amaze me at how organized and systemized they are. And others, well, not so much.Having a systemized business structure in place is the only reason I haven’t gone insane with my daily workload.Here’s the tools we use to be more organized, efficient and less stressed.12) Get Comfortable With SalesSales. It’s a dirty word for many entrepreneurs and business owners alike. Me too. I hate to think of myself as a “sales person” but at the end of the day, if we’re not selling our wares, we don’t have a business.Now that’s not to say you need to become a pushy, in-your-face predator. Far from it.Remember attribute #1 about being passionate? That’s what you need. People will trust your passion and will respond to it. But be careful, sometimes passion can be too intense and will turn people away.Find your sweet spot as to what resonates with your ideal clients and keep working at it. But do embrace the fact you’re selling your wares and learn some strategies that fit with your personality and comfort level that will work.13) Give BackGiving back is an imperative attribute to have when building a successful business. We give back in several ways, here’s some ideas to consider that we do:-Offer discounted prices for non-profits-Volunteer your services to community groups-Send cash donations to worthy charities you believe in-Make purchases that support worthy causes-Donate door prizes and/or silent auction items for fund raising activities-And support your own clients whenever you can14) Be AccessibleWhen new clients approach me due to being disenchanted with their existing web developer or marketer, the most often complaint I hear is they can never get a hold of the person. Either they take forever to respond to an email or never answer their phone.I think I’m going to write a book on how NOT to run a successful business based on this alone. It boggles my mind when I consistently hear stories like this. How are these people keeping a business going with such poor service and accessibility?I have a policy to answer emails within a day of receipt. I often exceed that policy but sometimes the volume is too much and I get delayed in responding. Same thing with the phone. If we’re available to answer, we do so. If we’re not, we’ll call the person back right away.Being accessible provides peace of mind to our clients; they know we care enough about them to take care of their needs in a timely manner. ’nuff said.There you have it. My honest take on what created the company to be an award-winning business. Maybe I need to write a book about this because, honestly, I could have added more but, it’s coming into the 15th hour on this Sunday night of working so I’ll leave it at that.What about you? What would you add to the list? Please leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!

There are many different factors that are involved in governing the fashion trend for women. The key element is to understand the requirements of different women belonging to different backgrounds regarding latest fashion trends.Fashion trends change from time to time, and it all depends upon some key factors that determine the changing trends based on women’s interest. One of the basic factors that influences the fashion trend is the colour choice. Women prefer to wear colours according to the weather. For example, it may be seen that during the winter season most women prefer to wear dark colours whereas spring is the time of wearing bright colours.Other than that usually women wear long sleeved and covered dresses during the cold season, and they prefer to accentuate their sexuality during the warm season. So, one will find the fashion statement dresses for winter to be completely different from the summer dresses. Besides that another important factor that influences the fashion trend for women is the female celebrities.When it comes to fashion every women wants to look like a celebrity and hence follow the fashion choices of their favourite celebrities. The fashion choice of female celebrities greatly influences the overall women’s fashion criteria. Women copy the creative designer look of their favourite female celebrities so that they are able to go along with the new and the most trendy fashion statement.Another important thing that influences the fashion trend for women is their comfort zone. Whether it is a formal wear or a casual one everyone wants to wear a dress that makes them look stunning, but at the same time it is comfortable to wear. One may identify that fashion trends change rapidly over the time but the idea to wearing comfortable fashion clothes always remains the same.The most important aspect that has a very great impact on the fashion trend for women is the associated cost. It is not necessary that every woman would want to wear something inexpensive and cost effective without regarding how it looks on them. The reason why fashion statement clothes should be inexpensive is that so that everyone is able to buy such clothes easily. Although there are certain brands that are quite expensive when it comes to pricing, but they offer good quality and fashionable clothes as well.

Many people are often faced with the question, why should someone watch my short film? It’s a question that has haunted filmmakers for ages. The medium of cinema is no stranger to feature-length films, from Shakespeare’s works to modern-day blockbusters. But a short film is something different entirely. In informal surveys, most people are unfamiliar with the term “short film,” or don’t see any need to watch one.

Here are Some Reasons to Consider Short Films :

1. Short Films are being Watched More than Ever

According to a recent study by the UK Short Film Council and the Film Council, the short film has been viewed over 750 million times on Facebook in the past year. It is three times more than the previous year. Other reports show that short films outperform TV and features on YouTube. You can also opt to Make Short Films with Concrete Media Music.

2. It is More than a Promotional Tool

Short films are no longer seen as a mere promotional tool. Also, companies such as Turner and Vimeo have begun to host fully original, independent short films. There are fewer limits to what a short film can be. Online distribution allows for creative freedom to experiment with forms of storytelling long abandoned by feature-length movies.

Now, with online distribution, these stories can easily be shared with large audiences and potential collaborators. If you wish to make short films, then you can consult Concrete Media Music.

3. Effective Use of Emerging Platforms

Short films are becoming increasingly popular as a result of a perfect combination of emerging platforms, newer online audiences, and a desperate need for various types of content. Film festivals, large and small, are now devoting time slots to short films because they attract a diverse audience, almost always guaranteeing a full house.

A large audience is no longer limited to feature films; even short films now receive millions of views. In addition to viewership, short films have also won several national and international awards because of their interesting concepts. For professional assistance, you can consult experts at Concrete Media Music.

In conclusion, short films are becoming increasingly popular, as they perfectly combine emerging platforms and various types of content. For professional assistance, you can consult experts at Concrete Media Music.

A new school year is approaching, so you might be wondering whether piano lessons are a good idea for your child.

There’s not one definitive answer for the best age for kids to start kids piano lessons. A number of factors play into this decision. Here are some things to be thinking about as you assess if now is a good time for your child to start piano.

It’s never too late to start
First, it’s important to know that it’s never too late to begin to learn the piano. There is no age limit to this. Even if kids begin piano lessons a few years later than their peers or as teenagers, they won’t be behind. Anyone can learn to play the piano, even in adulthood.

There is no need to feel rushed to start piano right away or to feel guilty if you haven’t started piano lessons yet.

It is possible to start too soon
On the other hand, starting piano lessons too soon isn’t always the best idea. It is possible for kids to form negative feelings about learning the piano early on if they are forced to learn it before they are truly ready. In the future, it may be very difficult to reverse this, and you may find that your child resents anything related to the piano.

Also, starting the piano too soon can also feel frustrating to kids who aren’t quite developmentally ready to learn the piano.

Elementary years are often a good time to start
The best time for most kids to start piano lessons is somewhere between early and mid-elementary school years. It’s impossible to judge your child’s readiness and interest to learn piano until you know him or her best.

You’ll also want to visit with several piano teachers to get their perspectives on a good time to start. Although some piano teachers are skilled at teaching younger beginners, others prefer older beginners. Even if your child is ready, learning from a teacher who is inexperienced with young children may negatively impact their experience.

Look for these signs of piano readiness
Interest in playing the piano: Does your child have a natural affinity for playing the piano? Do you notice them taking interest when other people play the piano? Do they sit down and try to figure things out on the piano on their own? Kids who do these things are almost always ready to learn more formally.

Time commitment: Piano lessons for kids require a time commitment from the whole family. Not only do you have to carve out time for weekly lessons, you also have to plan for daily practice. Practicing the piano should become a part of your child’s daily routine and ideally, parents need to be involved in the daily practice. The level of parental involvement will vary depending on your child and their teacher’s preferences. But, parents need to help kids find the structured time to practice, and they may also need to sit down and help their child complete assignments too.

The ability to sit still and focus for short to medium periods of time: Learning to play the piano requires kids to sit and focus at the piano for increasing lengths of time, A teacher who is great at working with young children will incorporate many ways to learn away from the piano bench and keep your child moving between different music activities. Some more traditional piano teachers might expect a child to sit at the piano for 30 minutes. If your child Piano might not be the best fit for someone who dislikes sitting still and focusing on details.

Fine motor development: Playing the piano requires a lot of fine motor development. It’s one of the only activities where kids are expected to control each individual finger simultaneously. Kids who haven’t fully developed their fine motor skills often feel stuck when they’re learning to play the piano. Their mind knows what to do and their hands simply aren’t ready.

Kid Playing Piano

Let’s take a quick look at what it’s like to start piano at various stages and what challenges you may need to be prepared for.

Ages 0–4 (Preschool): Kids who haven’t started Kindergarten yet usually aren’t quite ready for kids piano lessons. There are many wonderful music programs geared towards this age group. Look for movement-based preschool music programs in your area and help your child cultivate a love for music.

Ages 5–6 (Kindergarten/First Grade): Kids in this age group can really go either way. Many teachers will say that it’s too early to start piano lessons. But, kids who are really excited to learn or who have observed an older sibling learning piano often do really well.

Possible challenges: If you do start piano at this age, you might notice that your child doesn’t progress quickly or gets stuck on certain concepts. As long as your child is still interested in piano, don’t be discouraged when this happens. Usually, a developmental milestone is about to click into place and progress will pick up quickly soon.

Ages 7–9 (Second-Fourth Grades): These are really great years for starting piano lessons. A lot of kids in this age range pick up piano skills quickly and make fast progress, which is a big confidence boost.

Possible challenges: One thing to be mindful of with that quick progress early on is that things will soon get harder. Make sure you instill good discipline early on so that as things get more difficult, your child has what it takes to stick with it.

Ages 10–13 (Fifth-Eighth Grades): Kids starting piano at this age usually fly through the early stages because there are usually no developmental hindrances to learning. If a child in this age group is really interested in learning piano, they can usually cover a lot of ground very quickly and they are cognitively ready to really understand how piano and music work.

Possible challenges: Kids at this age who are being forced to learn the piano usually make very little progress because the easy stage doesn’t last very long.

Ages 14–18 (High School): High school can be a great time to start piano because at this age, a student is really motivated and has the capability to learn a lot quickly. A lot of times, high schoolers have already taught themselves a little bit of piano and they usually have specific goals and interests at the piano.

Possible challenges: The biggest obstacle that high schoolers face is time management. Kids that started piano at a younger age are already in the habit of carving out practice time, but newer high school learners often find it hard to juggle their other responsibilities with practicing. High schoolers also often get discouraged in the beginning stages because they might expect to move faster or play more complicated music sooner.

If you think your child is ready to start Kids piano lessons in west vancouver or Piano lessons Vancouver, make sure you have a good instrument in your home, you’ve visited with a few piano teachers to find the best match and that you’re ready to take on the time commitment as a family.

Today Air travel is one of the most widely modes of travel. Unlike in the past nowadays even the less affluent people have also begun using the Air Travel to reach distant destinations. The discount travel and the Dynamic Fares have helped air passengers in flying at a fraction of the original Fares.Since the maintenance of Aircraft is very expensive the Airlines fix large amounts as Airfare. But this automatically reduces the number of Passengers traveling by Air. This naturally reduces the Cash flowing in to the AirlinesThis rigidity in Air Fares makes them less remunerative and reduces the amounts they receive for their Services. This is reason for many Airlines to stop their Crafts flying. Keeping this in mind, many Airlines start offering low priced fares so that many people can travel and the profit will be increased by increasing the total amount of Money received.Dynamically Priced Fares are the best thing that works best both for the travelers as well as the Airlines Companies. In this concept of Dynamic Fares the rate for a Seat in the flight increases or decreases with the seat availability and the closeness to the departure times. That is the Airlines alter the price according to the number of passengers have booked the ticket.To be more clear, if a flight is going to a particular place after a week and the ticket is not fully sold the Airlines sets a price little low so that it will be full with in a week’s time. The main idea is to fill the Flight, though a few people pay less amount, many pay fully and the Airlines are satisfied that they can maintain their expense.The Discount Airlines are another one which is smaller, more economical, so that the Flight will be full easily, and comparatively the maintenance will be easy. These Airlines carry few people to a selected destination so these Airlines manage to cope up with their expense even during tough times.On the other hand the regular Airlines need to compete with these Discount Airlines to fill their flight, so the only way to do so is to use the DPF formula. That is the only solution for these Airlines to maintain their Flights.Earlier travelers went after the Travel Agencies to book their Air Tickets, Hotel, Car rental etc, but now the internet has changed a lot of these things. The Travelers are able to find out the availability of Seats and Flights through Internet.The Dynamic pricing fare is made easy through internet. Travelers are able to find out the availability of seat and they try to wait for few days and then book so that their amount can be reduced through Dynamic pricing fare.

Payday loans have been proved as a boon for those who are out of cash when there is real need of money. There are certain times in life when you have an emergency payment coming up and you are out of money. Such times you can always look for cash advance loans.Here below are listed some advantages of online payday loans:
Easier Option for Extra Cash: Payday loans can benefit in lot of instances when you are really in need of that extra cash. We often find ourselves in such occasions that we are short of some money to close some emergency dealings or payments. At such times, you can always opt for an online cash advance loans services providing authorities or banks which are the most easy and best form to get advance cash instantly. If you are eligible for some initial requirements then it is an easier task to obtain the payday loan.
Short-Term Loan for Low Amount: Online payday loans are almost similar to personal loans except the fact that payday loans are much lower in amount and taken for a short-term period. The lower maximum loan amount for a payday loan is decided by the lender. So it would be wise to look out for lenders who will provide you the payday loan amount that you are seeking so you don’t have to pay that extra interest on that extra amount. Such advance loans are given to the people who prove their eligibility to pay back mostly decided through their monthly income. In comparison to other forms of loans, online payday loans are of short-term period that lasts for some few weeks until you get your next pay check. And thus, such type of loan is known as Payday loan. In certain cases, the loan term may exceed for qualified applicants. One can easily get such loan from an online payday loan lending company easily, since such loans are mostly small amount and are considered to be of very low risk.
Instant Cash: The best part of an online cash advance loan is that they give you instant cash once you fulfil their eligibility requirements. The creditor if passed the requirements as a genuine applicant would get the loan amount directly debited to their back account within a single day of applying. Commonly people go for online loans in emergency such as health problems, urgent rent or other bill payments or other factors where they are out of cash and need immediate money. Because of such features, such type of loans is considered as an excellent option to go for when in need of urgent advance cash.
Online Loan Application: The benefit of an online loan application is that it needs only some requirements. One of the requirements is that the applicant must have a decent job and a fixed monthly income. The applicant also needs to be working for minimum of half a year and with a decent bank account. The applicant should be of legal age. Applying online makes the whole process hassle free and instant. Once you apply for a payday loan online the lending company executives will reach you personally and help you get the loan instantly.
Credit History not taken into account: The best advantage of an online cash advance loan is that you don’t need to worry about your bad credit history if any unless it’s much worse. That is because generally payday cash advance loans are of very small amount with less risk.
Keeping in mind these advantages, one can always opt for online payday cash advance loan when in need of urgent cash at emergency situations. Online payday loan lenders are always willing to give away loan instantly. So stop waiting and apply now.