Daily Archives: March 14, 2018

Swarm Intelligence: A new way to think about business

March 14, 2018 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , , , 36 Comments

Swarm Intelligence is the collective behaviour of self-organised natural or artificial systems. It was introduced by Geraro Beni and Jing Wang in 1989. The inspiration usually comes from nature. The agents just follow very simple rules, with no centralised structure. This act lead to the emergence of “intelligent” global behavior, which we is simply Swarm Intelligence.

 

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My Introduction to Swarm Intelligence

I got to know about Swarm Intelligence many years ago in a biology class. I am sure many others would have heard of this at school as well. To refresh your mind, you can have a look at a biology essay help service, there is a paper on there which describes how a group of scientists at Harvard University under the direction of Michael Rubinstein several years ago announced the creation of robots called Kilobot.

Swarm Intelligence is a whole new way to think about business. If done correctly, it can enhance the way your business is run.  By following the footsteps of social insects, we can see how they operate successfully as a result of these characteristics –

 

Flexibility

They can adapt to a changing environment. Being able to adapt to any environment helps. It means we can keep going even when outside our comfort zones.

 

Robustness

Even when one or more individuals fail, the group can still perform its tasks unsupervised. Being able to work unsupervised and without guidance is not for everyone but every freelancer, business person and self employed individual need this characteristic.

 

Self-organisation

The day to day activities are not controlled or supervised. It can go from 0 to 100 very quickly. Being able to organise systems to work effectively and stay organised is needed in the smooth running of a business.

 

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Swarm Intelligence and Freelancing

As a freelancer and a soloprenuer, I am a 1 woman team really. I do allocate some jobs out when I need to but I handle most of my business myself. Working from home with a family to cater for is not easy. I work round the clock everyday in order to get work done. The only way I get work done is by copying the Swarm Intelligence principles above.

I have to be able to be flexible and adjust to whatever life throws at me on a day to day basis. There is no manager or supervisor to tell me what to do, so I have to ensure I am on target and stick to deadlines. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid. It is as simple as that. I don’t have access to sick or holiday pay, so I have to ensure I work as many hours as I can to get my bills paid.

Have you ever heard of the term Swarm Intelligence? What are your thoughts on this?

 

*Collaborative post.

 

 

 

 

Perfect Online Careers for Mums

March 14, 2018 By in Blogging Tips, Lifestyle Tags: , , , , , , 39 Comments

Life as a working mum can be difficult. In fact, for some, it can seem impossible. Childcare is so expensive, to the point that many families find themselves in the complicated situation of not being able to afford to live on one income, but also being unable to afford the childcare for both parents to go to work. Some of us may be entitled to some free childcare when our children are 3, but if you’ve been out of work for nearly four years, it can be hard to secure a job that fits around your family. Even if you can work, flexibility is a huge problem.

Offering flexible working has a massive range of advantages for employers, but many don’t do it. Most nurseries and childcare providers close at 5-6pm, but workers are expected to work later. Even finishing at 5 pm doesn’t allow much time to travel in rush hour traffic. Then, the children start school, and somehow it gets harder. Now you can only work between 10 am and 2 pm unless your childminder can do a school pick up or your school provides after-school care and breakfast clubs. What is a working mum to do?

Well, fortunately, the internet can help. There are a wide variety of ways to make money online, even with no experience or qualifications. Working online can offer you complete flexibility. You can work around your children’s needs when they are in bed or around school times. You may still choose to use childcare, to give yourself some quiet time to work. But, it will be around your needs, and at times that suit you, not your employer. You’ll also have more time at home with your children; you’ll enjoy it more because you’ll be less stressed out and you’ll generally be happier. Online work can also offer you a fantastic way to make good money. You’ll face no discrimination; you won’t be passed over for promotions because you’ve got children, you will have total control. Sound good? Here are a few things that you could do.

 

Blogging

Blogging can be a fantastic career, and more people than ever are turning their hobby blogs into a business. It can take time to build up to making a substantial income, but you could make some money from advertising and affiliate marketing straight away. To start working with brands, selling extras, like membership to a private section of your site, or eBooks, you’ll need to out in a lot of time and effort. But, it will be yours. Your blog will be your business, and you’ll be able to do whatever you want with it. Just make sure you protect yourself with help from physicaladdress.com and by not sharing absolutely everything with your audience.

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Image Credit – https://pixabay.com/en/computer-office-table-keyboard-2049096/

 

 

 

VA

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Image Credit – https://pixabay.com/en/laptop-mouse-workplace-home-office-2345503/

 

A career as a virtual assistant can be perfect for mums. Now so many bloggers make money, and so many people have their own online business, there is definitely a place for talented assistants to make money from the comfort of your own home. Businesses and bloggers might pay a VA a few hours a day or week (to suit you and them) to organise social media, schedule posts, reply to emails and blog comments, edit photos and posts, arrange meetings and more. Basically, anything that can be done online, a VA can do. The more you offer, and the higher the quality of your work, the more you will be able to charge. In the UK the average VA earns £25+, with room for growth over time.

 

Writing

Many of us haven’t written anything since we left school. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do it anymore. Many blogs and websites will pay for well-written content and guest posts. Practice your skills on your blog, and then start pitching for work. Freelancer.com can be a great place to find work or look for “write for us” or “submit a post” buttons on your favourite websites. You might not make much to start with, but once you’ve found sites that pay well and like the work you can start to do well. The biggest advantage of writing is that you can take on as much or as little work as you want.

 

Graphic Design

Like writers, graphic designers can do very well online. Many blogs and small businesses are looking for ways to make their sites more professional, and design plays a huge part. Set up as a web designer or graphic designer and you could easily find work online.

Remember, if you are making money online, you need to register as self-employed and track your income ready to declare at the end of the tax year.

 

*Collaborative post.

How to Wear Slogan Tees and Tops

March 14, 2018 By in Fashion Tags: , , , , , 36 Comments

Slogan tees are so fashionable. Whether you’re fashion conscious or not you should have a couple of slogan tees in your wardrobe. At first, slogan tees came as a means of promoting brands or products. But now slogan tees share meaningful or witty messages that everyone can relate with or have a good laugh at.

 

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As part of your signature outfits, slogan tees make great statement pieces that add a lot of character to your style.

I have been doing a lot of experimenting lately and I discovered really awesome combinations you should give a try. Here are some ideas how to wear slogan tees and tops.

Style slogan tees and tops with a blazer or jacket

Let’s start with something less obvious. Want to achieve that relax laidback look? Layer a blazer or jacket over your slogan tee or top. It’s also great if you want to achieve the smart casual look.

Don’t hide the slogan by buttoning or zipping up. The idea behind a slogan tee is to pass a message, so you have to show it.

The blazer adds dimension to your outfit. Make sure you choose a blazer that suits your body type so that the blazer accentuates your share while making you look fashionable.

Have you tried wearing a bomber jacket over your slogan tee? The bomber jacket creates that relaxed look and it’s really suitable during the spring months.

 

Style slogan tees and tops with denim

This is a classic combination. No matter the colour of style of your slogan tee or top it works well will denim. There’s a way the crisp denim suits t-shirts and tops. Denim is timeless and you can never go wrong when styling with your slogan tees and tops.

Layer your slogan tee over a pair of jeans. You may choose to wear skinny jeans or flares or a skirt for those hot summer months.

You can also try styling your slogan tee with a denim jacket too. In fact, you can go all denim with your slogan tee. The colour of your slogan top will give your outfit contrast as well as making the slogan stand out.

Don’t be afraid to layer slogan tees and tops over different coloured denim. For example, black denim is pretty popular and it works really well with a slogan tee.

 

 

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Try colour blocking

If you think how you wear your slogan tees and tops all depends on what item of clothing you combine it with, then you’re wrong. The colour of the piece of clothing you combine your slogan tee with plays an important role too.

The technique called colour blocking will help you choose outfits that will give your slogan tee more definition. Colour blocking is an art. It involves the combination of colour from different ends of the colour spectrum.

There are different approaches to colour blocking. A quick way to choose the right colour to wear with your slogan tee is to pick a colour on your slogan tee and style it with trousers, skirt, jacket or blazer of the same colour.

If you have bright green writings on your white slogan tee, then style it with trousers of the same colour. Another way is to choose opposite colours. For example, on the colour wheel, the opposite colour of green is red. So if we go with the same white slogan tee with green writings then you can go for a bold red skirt and still looks fashionable.

 

How do you wear slogan tees?

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