Daily Archives: November 26, 2019

Made Redundant? See It As A New Door Opening…

November 26, 2019 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , , , 2 Comments

*Collaborative post.

If you have recently been made redundant, the chances are that you are feeling a little low. Losing your job, even if it is through no fault of your own, can be demoralising. You want to be valued, show your impact and feel like you are an expert at what you do. Just because you have been made redundant doesn’t mean that you aren’t good at your job; it simply means that the company you had been working for can no longer keep you on for financial or political reasons. If you have been made redundant recently, don’t see it as a negative thing. While not a personal choice and the timing may be a little crummy, you can see redundancy as an opportunity to embark on something new with your professional life. Take a look at these inspirational ways to view redundancy as a positive step forward and revolutionise your life for the better.

 

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Career Switch

Don’t think that you have to launch yourself head first into an array of job applications in a rush to get a new position. The chances are that you received some sort of payout to help cushion the redundancy blow. This should give you some much needed breathing space to focus on what you might want to do next. Losing your job can give you sleepless nights and make you worry about the future. However, before launching yourself into a new position immediately and making the wrong professional choice and being unhappy, you should take a breather. Reflecting is vital to help you recharge your batteries and focus on what is important to you.

You might want to take the opportunity to focus on a passion in an effort to turn it into a career. Often when we are fresh out of college, we take the first job that comes our way and we build a career around this. However, this may not inspire and fire us up. What is it that you love? Consider checking out a range of job training courses to help equip you with the skills you need for a potential new career. Just because you were an accountant doesn’t mean you can’t be a car mechanic. And just because you have social media management skills doesn’t mean you cannot be a hair stylist. Focus on what you love and forge a career.

 

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Go It Alone

If you are sick and tired of working for the man (whoever the man is) it’s time to break the mould and go your own way. Consider using your financial cushion to construct your own business plan. Perhaps you want to launch a street food business, or maybe you want to produce your own custom made jewelry, or maybe you want to provide accountancy services to IT contractors. Whatever it is that you want to do, you can. You simply need to be prepared.

Focus on your funding and make some accurate financial predictions in your business plan. Write about your experience from your previous role and never be ashamed to admit that you were made redundant. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, and potential investors will appreciate your honesty and the efforts that you are going to in order to launch your own venture.

When pitching to a potential investor, ensure that you are suited and booted and that you know your figures inside out. A bank manager may be a scary proposition, but a business angel is even more terrifying. These individuals are experts in their field and use their own money to invest in startups that they think can make them money. They want a strong return on their investment so they will be investing in you as much as your venture. Know your gross from your net figures and be prepared to have your business plan scrutinised. Ensure that you understand the risks that your business may face and have contingency plans to show your potential investors that you have thought of every eventuality, and that you can weather any financial turmoil.

Being an entrepreneur is no easy task, but the door that redundancy has closed, could leave the self employment door ajar. If you have been made redundant, don’t think that you have to find the exact same job elsewhere in a different company. You need to think outside of the box to explore different professional options. This could be your chance to seek out new opportunities, giving you a better work life balance and revolutionising your life for the better.

 

Our stay at Ocean Hotel Butlins Bognor Regis

November 26, 2019 By in Travel Tags: , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

We spent our October  half term week at Butlins Bognor Regis. It was our first time visiting the resort so we were really excited to explore it all. I will be writing a post in the next few days about the resort itself but for this post, it is all about our stay at Ocean Hotel Butlins Bognor Regis.

We were a group of 8, so we got 2 family rooms next to each other. My first impression of the hotel was good. I liked the fact that the hotel was close to the entrance of the resort and the attractions. The colourful reception also caught my eye. It was quite bright and inviting. The kids loved it.

Now this is going to be a very honest review. It might be too honest if I am being honest.

 

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What we liked about Ocean Hotel Butlins Bognor Regis

Location, decor and some nice staff

Like I previously, the position of the hotel is super convenient. It is next to the entrance and all the activities going on so it was easy to get around. The colourful decor all over the hotel is super pretty. I think the rooms are well decorated with the kids in mind. The children’s room is super cozy with the lights and all. We all liked the hotel decor a lot. Some of the staff members were really nice and friendly. We met a few around in the restaurant and other parts of the resort and they were really helpful.

 

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What we didn’t like about Ocean Hotel Butlins Bognor Regis

Checking in and the lift

I didn’t like the fact that it took forever to get a free lift. We had a toddler in a buggy so steps were not an option. It was super frustrating to spend forever everyday waiting for a free lift. Checking in was super slow. The were long queues and it felt like the staff at the reception desk would work faster with more hands on deck. After a long road trip to get there, waiting in line for ages was not fun with 5 children.

 

Dining and housekeeping

The rooms were cleaned everyday but it would have been great to have the beddings changed at least every other day. The beddings were not changed all through our 4 night stay. The toiletries provided in the bathroom were so basic. I expected a lot more for the price we paid. Thankfully, we came with all we needed for our stay.

There is no room service available. All dining in the hotel has to be done in the restaurant, which is usually packed and very overpriced. We had the misfortune of having dinner there in the first night, and the food was shockingly bad and very expensive. We never made the mistake again, but breakfast was ok.

 

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Temperature in the room

Now this was a massive issue for us. The rooms were really warm, it was super uncomfortable especially at night. The thermostat in our room didn’t seem to control anything. It was so bad for my daughter’s delicate skin, that she broke into a rash. The rashes disappeared as soon as we checked out of the hotel, and I am still not 100% sure what caused it. My guess is the heat in the room caused her rashes but it could be a combination of other things from the hotel. Maybe the bedding wasn’t cleaned properly before we came, it could be something else from the room, I am not sure. But I was so happy to be out of there.

Before we left, we popped into the first aid to get some advice, they checked out the rashes and advised to see a doctor but luckily we didn’t have to. All the rashes cleared up within 24 hours of leaving the hotel.

 

No free WIFI

The hotel advertises free WIFI but that is not true because you can’t do anything with the free wifi. We all had to buy data to be able to stay connected on our phones and tablets for the children. You would think a hotel this expensive in a family friendly resort would at least have decent free internet connection.

 

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We won’t be returning to this hotel ever again and I cannot see myself returning to Butlins Bognor Regis if I am being completely honest. My thoughts on the resort will be in my next travel post. So keep reading. You can also catch up on my last hotel review post here.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a lovely day wherever you are.

 

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Getting Serious About Your Blog As A Business

November 26, 2019 By in Blogging Tips Tags: , , , , 22 Comments

*Collaborative post.

More and more people are thinking about turning their blogging passion into a full-time business, and there are certainly many wonderful reasons to do so. The thrall of money is of course one of the top ones, but it is not the only reason. It is also a chance to exercise a particular joy that you have, and to share your own unique opinion and stance on things with the wider world. Nonetheless, turning your blog into a fully-fledged business has its challenges which you will need to deal with and overcome: what are they?

 

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How Much Of A Venture?

The first thing you will need to decide upon is just how much of a business venture you want your blog to be. This is entirely up to you, and it is important to remember that the sky’s the limit. Of course, most commonly it is simply a matter of monetizing it, but ultimately keeping it as a kind of stay-at-home business. But if you want to set your sights higher, there is nothing technically stopping you looking through www.proplist.com for some commercial property and turning this into a fully-fledged operation. Whatever you feel is appropriate for your blog.

 

Writing Great Content

No matter how big you do desire to take it, there is one thing that is always going to remain the case, and that is that you need to write consistently great content. The better your content, the more of a chance you have of real success with your business, so this really is an important thing to bear in mind. This is true if it is just you writing at home, or if you have started up a whole team of writers to blog on different subjects under one company name. The content is always king.

 

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Selling Products

One of the simpler ways to monetize a blog is to sell products alongside it. This is easy enough to do: the first challenge is to decide on what products are going to be saleable as a part of your blog’s brand, and which your customers are likely to actually click through to and buy. Sometimes, there is a match-up that just lends itself beautifully, such as a freelance writer’s blog selling the writer’s own books. But sometimes you will have to be a little more creative if you are to find the match. However, it is always possible.

 

Advertising

Another way to make money from your blog, and a method which could be enough to legitimize it as a business of its own accord, is to sell advertising space on your website. If you get enough visitors, then you will find that this is an incredibly effective money-maker. Of course, a lot of people prefer the idea of selling their own products through their blog, but if you want to go down this route then there is nothing wrong with that either. If you need help with this, take a look at www.lifewire.com. 

If you can focus on these things, you should be making money from your blog in no time.

 

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