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Launching a new business or a new product is always tricky, especially with today’s more competitive landscape. As much as business people want to be profitable, there is no escaping the fact that it can only be achieved by being relevant and unique to their target market forever. Otherwise, why else would they continue purchasing the product, right?

As a designer, this where you come in and play a critical role in the success of that launch. Leading the way and guiding the client to choose to invest in design from the very beginning of the process guarantees its success outright.

And here are some ways to motivate your client to do so during the pitch:

1. Talk about research.

More often, designers fail not because of their design but because it’s not grounded in reality, with reality being charts and numbers that the client can appreciate. Instead of simply aesthetics, be a more proactive designer by coming up with market research to back your design. It can be as simple as a SWOT analysis of the design of the packaging or a market study of items which it may look like in the market. If the client’s product is food and their outside packaging resembles that of a detergent, share it; that would be much appreciated by the client as they know that you took the time to check the market than simply giving out designs from a computer.

With your design knowledge, the research phase of your pitch can also be a teachable moment for the client. You can explain why your design chooses the colors that it does and its psychological impact to the market that you are trying to penetrate.

2. Explain the joy of failing in testing

Although it may seem counterintuitive, encouraging testing even for something as simple as a focus group discussion can pay off well in the long run. Testing with the actual product through 3D rendering can also be smart as actual people can get to the item and give feedback even before it hits the shelves and the paying hands of the customers.

Tell your client this: would they rather produce the product and fail or fail now and iterate and then go into production? Would firing, shooting, before aiming a much more expensive activity to undergo?

3. Make the process fun and economical.

So okay, your client is 50 percent sold to the idea of great design. But be reminded that these are business people with real targets whose missed targets have a lot of effect on their work and that of their companies. Make it fun, a learning time, but have a solid strategy and timeline. Delaying the launch of the product is one thing, but not being able to launch due to your delays is another.

Sometimes we need to get out of our own way and take a chance. However, fear of failure, of being laughed at, not liked, thought badly of, can prevent us from pushing ourselves into the unknown and stop us from gradually moving forward into developing new skills, abilities and life experiences.

It can lead us to resist offers to try out new places and things, to have a go or speak at an event, due to fear or concern at what might happen. We may second-guess ourselves, run a ‘what if’ narrative. Perhaps we’re unsure as to what to say or do, are hesitant at risking looking ridiculous or apprehensive about being embarrassed.

But others also share those fears and concerns and it can inspire and encourage them to have a go when they see someone else taking a chance, refusing to get in their own way and not stress too much about the potential consequences.

Others are often appreciative and supportive of those who try, so why not instead decide to take a few positive steps, stop hi-jacking ourselves and enjoy the opportunity to move out of our comfort zone!

- Start small. By taking one step at a time, you gradually build up your confidence. If you have social anxiety, instead of agreeing to go for dinner at a buzzing, ultra-smart restaurant why not first get used to going out for coffees and lunches at busy times of the day? Choose positive ways to take things at your own pace, make your day and get out of your way!

- Get used to mixing with a variety of people and going out. If you’ve a meeting, interview or presentation, practice pulling together a few bullet points and rehearse in front of a mirror or with a small, supportive audience. Focus on the areas you feel unsure about.

- Be aware of how you talk to yourself. We’re often our own worst critic, berating ourselves in ways we’d never dream of speaking to others. Instead, tell yourself that you can do it, it’s worth it, that others are not as interested or invested in what you do as you are; all ways to help in moving past any initial doubts and hesitancy.

- Address areas that feel neglected, that are in need of a little help. Use this opportunity as the motivation to improve your appearance, your wardrobe, update your image, benefit your conversational skills or education. It might require a little effort, but that commitment will be repaid by enhancing your life and making you feel more invested in the quality of your day-to-day engagements.

- Keep up-to-date with local news and popular TV shows, so enabling you to find it relatively easy to join conversations and connect with others. Or ask people ‘tame’ questions about their holidays or how they spend their time; fairly safe approaches to starting conversations.

- Enlist the help of a supportive friend, family member, therapist, coach or mentor, someone who’s on your side and will champion you along, sometimes applauding your efforts, sometimes giving you a nudge to keep going. Be open to that happening and appreciate constructive feedback and suggestions. It can be surprising to discover how differently others see us, compared to how we see ourselves.

- Nurture a curious, interested mindset by doing something new and challenging every day, so making you think and step out of your comfort zone. It may be simply travelling a different route to work, cooking something you’ve never tried before for dinner. Think about ways you can fire up a positive, interesting and engaged approach to life and relish where it takes you.

- Value opportunities to say ‘yes’ to invitations and try new experiences and relationships. Even agreeing to do things that may not initially appeal can lead to unexpected successes and adventures. And sometimes using ‘no’ can be positive too, if it stops you from becoming overwhelmed and exhausted.

There is nothing easier in life than just blindly following the crowd and not having to worry about whether the path you are on is right or wrong as it is already tested so many times by people before you that you can be almost sure that you will definitely achieve at least something if you stay on it. However, having your own vision which is unrelated to what others are doing has its own perks.

First of all, a vision gives you a purpose and makes all your efforts seem worthwhile to you because you are aware where exactly you are going with all that you are doing. Otherwise, you might be putting in a lot of effort but you will never realize how far you have come and how far you still have to go. That will eventually make you lose interest in your endeavor and at some point, you might give up. But when you have a definite vision, you seldom lose motivation. You always have a direction to move forward and a standard to measure your progress.

Secondly, when you have a vision, you try to find your own solutions whenever you are stuck somewhere. It makes you wiser every time and affects your personality in a very positive way. Your level of maturity rises and sense of responsibility improves. If you do not have a vision, you will seldom find the courage and urge to try and overcome your problems. You will see yourself blaming luck or other such factors most of the times because that is simply not what you really want to do.

Last but not the least, your vision makes you who you are and decides what you deserve in life. It gives you courage to not settle for less. When you know your true worth, you realize what you are capable of and where you truly belong. On the other hand, you miss a number of opportunities when you do not have a vision because you might just be following those who are not even half as talented as you. You can only imagine where your life might end up.

Home décor and interior designing is not a new idea. Since long people love to decorate their houses in attractive and amazing manner that not only attracts other but also prove to be a sense of happiness and comfort for the home maker. Home décor involves number of areas that need to be covered if you want to decorate your home properly. Here in this article, I will focus on the importance of carpets within a home décor.

Carpets are not only used for decorative purposes but they have great functional value as well especially in cold areas. Their significance in home décor cannot be underestimated at any cost. In cold areas carpets are specially preferred because of the comfort associated with them. This comfort is not possible to achieve with any other kind of flooring. Carpets are also famous in Middle Eastern Countries. Moreover, Iran has been famous for its unique carpet manufacture for centuries.

If we talk about home décor, we will see several carpet varieties are extensively used in homes. Woven carpets are one among them. These carpets are made with the help of different material by using different techniques. They may vary in their sizes and designs. You can adopt any item according to your preference as well as the requirement of the room. Moreover, wall to wall carpet is also a very popular choice in countries having cold climates. The reason behind is that it becomes difficult to walk on tiled floors because they are comparatively colder than a proper carpeted floor. However, maintenance of a carpet floor is something more difficult than a simple and polished tiled floor.

If you have wall to wall arrangements in your home or have some carpets, you should clean by vacuum cleaner on daily basis because carpets gather dust easily that may cause breathing problems afterward.

Smoothies are big business. There are now many brands available on the shelves of supermarkets and health food stores. They are quite expensive and many people do not realise how easy they are to make at home in a smoothie maker. In fact, you can make smoothies at home so easily and so quickly, I wonder why anyone would go to the expense of buying them in store.

It seems that the biggest consumers of these store-bought smoothies are health-conscious under 35s. If only they realized that home-made smoothies are even better for them, they would all be rushing out to buy a smoothie maker! Home-made smoothies contain only the fresh ingredients you put into them, no preservatives, artificial flavours or sweeteners. Store-bought smoothies are often heat-treated too, this lengthens the shelf-life but many people believe that nutritional value is lost in the process.

If you are new to home smoothie-making, bananas are one of the easiest fruits to get started with. Bananas have many health benefits and taste delicious, either on their own as a single fruit smoothie combined with probiotic yogurt or, as a mixed fruit smoothie combined with fruits such as strawberries, raspberries or blueberries.

Bananas are one of the best sources of the vitamin which is so important for the health of our immune systems. This is vitamin B6 and is often also called the “feel-good” vitamin because it is vital in the conversion of Tryptophan to Seratonin which has a natural soothing and calming action.

Bananas are rich in the fiber that is essential if our digestive systems are to function effectively. Adequate fiber in our diets helps us to avoid minor problems such as constipation and haemorrhoids which are nonetheless very uncomfortable. More importantly though eating a diet with the correct intake of fiber helps us to avoid more serious problems in the long-term. These problems include cancers of the bowel and colon.

Bananas are also a rich source of minerals such as potassium and magnesium. Both these minerals are vital in reducing the risk of Osteoporosis. Potassium helps prevent excess calcium being excreted in urine and the calcium needed for healthy bones, needs to be in balance with magnesium if it is to be absorbed efficiently. Low Potassium levels have also been linked with an increased risk of high blood pressure and the problems that this brings.

Now that you know how easy it is to make the freshest, most delicious, healthy smoothies at home in a smoothie maker, why not get started today? Fruits and vegetables combined in smoothies are blended smooth so that they are easy for our bodies to digest and absorb. So, rather than buying ready-made smoothies, save yourself some money and start getting the health benefits of making smoothies at home.

Getting out the door and to the nearest coffee shop for that morning shot of espresso is the first thing on the mind on many people. They just aren’t functioning well until they get their daily dose of smooth, strong espresso blended into the perfect latte.

Now, these same people can slow down and enjoy that latte or espresso without even getting dressed first. Purchasing an espresso maker for the home makes it possible to pull that espresso shot before getting dressed.

Some of the top names in espresso makers have designed machines for use in homes. They are made with the same care and construction as the full sized machines without being as large or costly as commercial machines.

Espresso makers can be purchased to replace an existing coffee maker or to be used in addition to a coffee maker. The technology that is available today has made it possible for designers to incorporate coffee makers alongside the espresso makers so that only one appliance has to be purchased.

Home espresso machines are available that are fully automatic with little to no learning curve needed. They can be purchased with or without bean grinders that grind and tamp the beans, or, the new owner can learn to be a true barista and pull the perfect shot without the aid of technology.

Homeowner’s don’t have to worry about water quality or bean freshness with the more advanced machines made by the professional designers. Espresso makers can be outfitted with water filtration systems to assure that the final delivered product is as primo as possible.

Bean storage and grinding are optional accessories that can make the process easier. A good espresso machine stores the beans in an airtight storage area, only dispensing the amount needed. Quality machines have a separate doser for using an alternate bean when desired without having to empty the storage hopper.

Depending on the manufacturer and the model of the espresso maker, home espresso machines may have demi cup storage that also warms the cups to keep the espresso warm as it is served.

Top of the line models are fully automatic and require very little cleaning or maintenance, it is all built in. Newer models are digital and can be set to various strengths with the push of a button.

Home users can choose from a wide variety of espresso makers to start their day off with that perfect jolt. Before making in investment in an espresso maker, home users should read up on the newest models and what is available. If possible, find a manufacturer with a good warranty and a trial period, that way, if the machine doesn’t live up to expectations it can be returned without any hassles or issues.

The other day, I was talking to a gentleman who has quite a bit of knowledge about electrical engineering. We got to talking about all the conspiracies theories around these SmartGrid electricity meters which have been installed on houses across America. Some are worried of the additional radio frequencies because of the way these things work, and believe they may cause exposure which will not be good for human health.

There are of course studies which refute any conspiracy theory, or any danger to the human biosystem, as well as studies which seem to speculate and dare to ask the question. Okay so, this is all interesting but I have another topic along a similar line I’d like to discuss. It seems it would be possible to hack into or hijack the smart meter control system on a given residence. Once in the culprits could play with the power settings and frequency modulation and thus, causing fluctuations in the frequency cycle, it might be possible to cause the early demise of personal electronic equipment and computers in the home.

Now then, why would anyone want to do this? Well, perhaps the individual was under surveillance for being an international terrorist in our country, or perhaps a lone wolf terrorist, and if their computer crashed they may not have all the information on the computer to carry out their dastardly deeds. That might be one use for it, or perhaps a justification for the Justice Department. Now then, back to the conspiracy theorists. Should they be worried about such ability of either the authorities, or a hacker doing this to their personal electronics or other electronics and home?

Consider if you will all the electrical appliances you have? Air-conditioning, refrigerator, small appliances, coffee makers, home computers, etc., the list goes on and on. Interestingly enough the computer virus worm called Stuxnet causes computer systems to cycle the power supply by turning it off and on in rapid succession. This will cause electrical failure, not to mention raise havoc with any software the system, not to mention potential fire.

Do conspiracy theorists have something here? Indeed, when I was talking to my acquaintance we came to the realization that the answer is; probably not. However, because it is possible to do such things, and because the technology exists, and as we know hackers have hacked into just about everything from smart phone payment systems to the computer systems of some of our top defense contractors. The challenge for hacker seems to be there.

Therefore it would be my guess that someone will try, and as hackers so often do, they will share their knowledge with everyone else, that’s how they do it in the hacker world. It hardly matters if the conspiracy theorists are right or wrong about certain corrupt individuals in power, because if the technology exists to do this, chances are some day down the road, someone will. Please think on this.

So many people bemoan the downsides of their current jobs – the hours are long, the commute is a nightmare, they want to spend more time with their families. The key to solving all of these problems is to open our minds and start working in this money maker online business.

Working online is a great way to make money. At the source of nearly every story about how working online is a waste of time is someone who did it wrong, or didn’t put in the effort necessary. With a little hard work, anyone can work in the comfort of their own home, make their own hours, and most importantly, make money.

Here are just a few of the advantages of working online

o You can work late if you have a deadline you have to meet
o No more waking up at the crack of dawn to drive long distances
o You will save money on the amount of gas you will use for your car
o You can eat, drink and go to the toilet when ever you like
o You can do other things at home during the day like,
o Chores, clean up, surprise the wife, wash the car, do some paperwork
and sleep!

Right now, the biggest money maker opportunities for working online are all about marketing and information. Thousands of companies offer opportunities for people willing and able to put in the hard work and dedication. Some of these opportunities include email marketing and creating blogs to direct traffic to a business’s website. Another opportunity is in information delivery. Everyone wants to access the internet to find what they want right away. It doesn’t just show up by magic – someone out there is making a great living writing articles and blogs about all sorts of information, from pet care, to home improvement tips, to job hunting and resume building advice.

The fact is that working online has become a reality for millions of people all over the world and anyone that is willing to do the research, put in the hard work and time needed to be successful at it will find their whole lives enriched by the freedom, flexibility, and pride they get from an online job well done. There are golden opportunities online in a wide variety of fields. Looking for a home-based job is similar to looking for a traditional job; there are openings that utilize any skills or talents that someone has, but these jobs aren’t going to stick around forever. Like a traditional job, the sooner you get involved, the better your chances of creating a rewarding money maker home-based online business.