Global Digital Store – Ebooks and Softwares

Tag: Small

What You Need To Know About Passing A Drug Test

[ad_1]

Most professional athletes live with the reality that they can be required to take random drug tests to rule out the presence of prohibited substances. Testing also occurs in the workplace as employers try to ensure that their employees are complying with the rules. If you work in an environment where random tests are carried out, it helps to have some information on how to pass. The fact is that most people get into situations that can sometimes get them into trouble.

Dealing with Random Tests

If you know in advance that drug testing is scheduled, there are things that you can do to make sure that you come up clean. The problem comes up if you do not have prior notice. When you are notified that you are about to be examined, it may be necessary to take some remedial action. Trying to accomplish this without arousing suspicion can be difficult and it leaves you with limited options. Random examinations have led to people trying to come up with different ideas on how to pass one.

Blood and Saliva Testing

It is important to know the different methods that are often administered in the workplace and sporting events. The most common ones are Blood Testing, where blood is drawn before being sent to the lab to test for certain drugs and Saliva Drug Test, where the saliva is examined. The saliva test involves swabbing the inside cheek using a cotton swab and its simplicity makes it a favorite in the work environment. The testing can detect drug usage in the past few days.

Urine and Hair Testing

Urine drug testing or urinalysis involves the collection of urine that is then examined for temperature and creatinine levels. The urine test is usually validity or first screen check and it is often followed by additional procedure using a new sample. A Hair Follicle Drug Test involves examining strands of hair to determine if drugs are present in the body. Hair follicle testing is hard to fool because any signs of toxins remain in the hair for months due to slow hair growth.

Detoxifying the system

People try different methods to pass such tests and these include urine substitution and dilution. These methods are difficult to get away with especially when the procedure is random. One option that can work is the process of detoxifying the system. This will depend on how much time you have but it is the most reliable solution. If you have a small window of opportunity, there are detox products in the market that can prove to be very effective.

There are different products that claim to be able to remove traces of drugs from the system. Research the options and get as much information as you can before using any products.

[ad_2]

Source by Sila Rodney

Views: 0

July 28, 2022
When You're Back on the Dating Scene

[ad_1]

With so many relationships breaking down and such a high percentage of marriages ending in divorce it's no wonder that many of us will, at some point, end up back on the dating scene.

We may be older and wiser, a little battered and bruised, but often, once we're ready to date again, thinking about rejoining the fray, we'll be harboring the fantasy of meeting someone special. Back on the dating scene means being optimistic, hopeful and looking forward to finding love again.

What do we need to consider when we're back on the dating scene?

– Our previous relationship experiences may have scarred our view and made us wary of what might go wrong. We may be keen to meet someone new but are nervous of trusting again. Cynicism of others' motives and being uncertain of our own instincts after getting it wrong may be sensible forms of self-protection, but if we treat all new dates with apprehension they will quickly sense our hesitancy and lack of enthusiasm. It's not going to bode well if we're on permanent alert, suspicious of their comments, behavior or intentions.

Counseling and hypnotherapy can be a useful start to the healing process and a good way to deal with past upsets. Therapy can help us to improve our confidence, self-esteem and remedy unwanted habit patterns, so becoming more assertive in an appropriate adult way. Don't forget that most potential dates will have their own story too, with their concerns, unease and fears. Starting out, second time around, can be a cautious time for both.

– This can be a good time to do things that boost your confidence. Maybe your wardrobe, make up or grooming regime need a refresh. Small changes can make a massive difference to how you feel about yourself and often cost very little to implement. Pay attention to current affairs, popular TV and local events so that you can easily join in conversations and offer relevant opinions. Think about picking up a hobby or interest, volunteering or joining a course. Exams don't have to be a factor!

– You may have to deal with children who are not too impressed at the thought of you dating again. They may have been through the damage of the breakup, witnessed the pain of the divorce and are used to you being around, more like your old self and always there for them. The thought of a new 'mum' or 'dad' arriving on the scene may fill them with horror.

Dependant on their age and awareness of the reasons for the breakup, they may have put your ex on a pedestal, especially if he or she is seen as the victim, all alone and struggling to recover. Giving you 'permission' to starting dating again might seem like a step too far and incredibly disloyal.

Children's jealousy, resentment and emotional blackmail may need to be navigated with kind but firm determination, especially if they refuse to share you or treat any potential serious new relationship with shock or disdain. Sometimes it's advisable to keep the fact that you're dating private until you're confident that this new relationship is right for you, even if that decision remains in place for months or even years, until the children are older or more settled.

And if they do insist on overseeing your love life it's important to refuse to allow yourself to be bullied by them. Older children are often determined to live their life on their terms, but equally they must allow you to do the same.

– Ageing, older parents can sometimes start to increase their demands just as you're ready to start back on the dating scene. They may be increasingly fragile and in need of greater levels of support. There may be concerns at leaving them unattended for too long, or that you could be called away at a moments notice. It could make the notion of dating again seem like too much hassle.

But supportive friends or the services offered by many local care agencies could potentially step into the breach and provide whatever level of support is required to help ease those concerns. And mobile phones make us all easily accessible.

– Friends too can send mixed messages. Sometimes at the outset, they may display great enthusiasm about getting you back on the dating scene. They may be keen to introduce you to single friends, arrange coffees, support you as you aim to lose a little weight and update your image. But then, if you become more committed to dating reality may sink in for them. The awareness that if you become serious about someone new and how it could significantly change your close, supportive relationship may hit them hard and prompt them to revise their approach.

Become aware of them starting to discourage you or of them regularly finding fault with your new love interest. Trust your gut and pay attention to any reasonable concerns they may have, but also appreciate that other people's perception of your date will be different to yours, especially if they're coming from a long-established, cozy, familiar relationship scenario.

Have some fun, take good care of yourself and enjoy getting back on the dating scene!

[ad_2]

Source by Susan Leigh

Views: 0

July 28, 2022
Direct Sales Team Vs Distributor – Which is Better For an International Market?
[ad_1]

If you’re looking to expand your sales to new markets, then there’s one big question you must ask: do I build a direct sales presence or use a distributor? Each method has its benefits and drawbacks, but we’re going to make a strong case to use one method over the other in almost every instance.

What’s the difference between direct sales and distributors?

A direct sales presence means that your company establishes, manages, and pays a sales team of one or more people in the target market.

An outside agent is any entity that will sell your product in exchange for a service fee. One example is a sales rep, who sells your product in exchange for a percent of the sale. A distributor is similar to a rep, except they would buy product from your company and sell it directly to the end customer.

Is Direct Sales Better?

For most businesses expanding into new markets, especially international markets, hiring a distributor is a better decision-at least until there is enough return from the market to justify building a direct sales presence.

Sure, there is one major advantage to having a direct sales presence-control. Control over the day to day activities of your sales personnel is appealing to most business owners. But this control comes at a heavy price. To start, you’ll need to spend the time to hire someone in that market, then train them, then equip them with sales material and management, if not office space and equipment. These costs are prohibitive for most small businesses looking to expand internationally.

And there are even more costs that we haven’t mentioned yet. Each market has it’s own unique laws, cultures and customs that are essential to master if your company wants to establish a successful sales presence. Japan is a classic example of a marketplace with unique legal structures and business customs that, if not followed, guarantee the failure of any sales efforts. It’s hard to pin down an exact monetary value to this learning, but ask yourself this: Can you afford to establish, manage, and pay a sales force in a foreign country for at least a year while they learn the ropes and generate no revenue?

What about a Distributor? Is a Distributor better for new markets?

Distributors are a cost effective means to enter a new marketplace successfully. Here are just a few of the reasons:
- No Overhead:
  Unlike running your own sales team, a distributor will take care of the hiring, managing, payment, and optimization of its channel. You’re just borrowing their distribution, while they handle the maintenance.
- Established Channel with Local Knowledge:
  A good distributor will already know all the laws and customs of the market you’re entering. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel-you can use someone who already has valuable local knowledge.
- Understand Pricing and Purchasing Power of Market:
  Along with knowledge of the laws and customs comes knowledge about the most successful ways to price and market your product locally.
- Cost Effective:
  Since you won’t be paying for the above items, distributor relationships are much more within reach of a small business trying to enter a new market.
Using a distributor has some downsides as well, but they can be minimized by building a good relationship with a distributor.
- Not your own people:
  You won’t be able to directly manage every step of the process. While it may make you nervous to lose some control over the sales process, you can manage the risk by building a transparent relationship with your distributor with constant updates and feedback from both ends.
- Distributor has many products to represent:
  You may not be the distributor’s top priority at any given time, and you want to be sure your product is not getting shuffled to the back of the line. Once again, a well-established relationship with constant contact will ensure that your product is getting the attention it deserves.
- Not a “turn key” solution:
  You can’t just give the distributor your products and expect success. You’ll have to manage the relationship. This takes time, but it’s still less costly than trying to install a direct sales team from scratch.
So what do I do next?

If you aren’t convinced that a distributor would be better for your organization than establishing a direct sales team, seek help from a consultant who has experience establishing a presence in new markets. A consultant can use his or her experience to analyze your opportunity and recommend the best course of action.

Before you choose a distributor, you need to know….

Choosing the wrong distributor will set you up for failure. The wrong distributor simply won’t generate sales, and you’ll have wasted at least a year finding and setting up an unprofitable relationship.

There are certain things to look for in a distributor, and they are different for every market. The best thing to do is to find a professional, one with experience in distributor relationships, and hire that professional to help you search for and identify the right distributor.

[ad_2]

Source by J. P. Williams

Views: 0
July 28, 2022
Gender Wars: Has The Time Come For Men And Women To Heal Their Emotional Wounds?

[ad_1]

When it comes to the mainstream culture, it is not uncommon for men to be put down and to be seen as the bane of the earth. This doesn't mean that women are not also seen as the problem, but this could be seen as something that takes place underground, to speak.
â € ‹
So, while there are plenty of newspapers and TV stations that are only too happy to paint all men as being a certain way; there are also plenty of websites and videos online that are happy to paint all women as being a certain way. It could then be said that it is socially acceptable to put men down but the same can't be said when it comes to putting women down, which is why this has to be done in a more covert manner.

Plenty of Fuel

It seems that not a day goes by when there isn't something in the mainstream media that doesn't add to the view that men are worthless human beings. Sometimes, something small will be used to prove this, while at others, it will be something that is far bigger.

For example, when a woman in the public eye claims that she has been harassed by a man, not a lot of thought is given as to whether or not this actually took place. There are at least two reasons for this: firstly, women are often portrayed as innocent and pure and, secondly, all men are often portrayed as primitive beings that can't control their urges.

The Accepted Narrative

Thus, regardless of whether or not a man is actually guilty, he is going to be used to support the view that all men are the same. Clearly, if a man is found to be guilty the appropriate action should be taken, but, without the evidence that he has done anything wrong, it shouldn't be assumed that he has done anything wrong.

The people in the media who support this view of men don't seem to care about the damage that something like this could do to an innocent man's life. It's as though a man deserves to have his whole life ruined, irrespective of if he has done anything wrong.

Validation

And, if a woman believes that are men are the same, it is going to be music to her ears to hear the mainstream media talk about men in this way. A woman like this may have been in a number of abusive relationships, for instance.

Seeing a man go from a position of power to being destroyed is then going to be extremely satisfying. She probably won't have met this man, but seeing him go down will allow her to indirectly experience revenge.

The Other Side

When it comes to what is taking place away from the mainstream media, there is plenty of content that basically goes into how worthless women are. One of the main themes is that women can't be trusted and that if they find another guy who has more money / status, they will soon disappear.

And, if a man has been in a relationship where the woman walked away or if he has found it hard to experience fulfilment in this area of his life, for instance, he can be only too happy to hear other men say that women are useless and good for one thing. It will be as though they are enslaved to their biology, are heartless, and are not consciousness beings, unlike men who are in control of their urges, have a heart, and are aware.

Letting of Steam

Due to what a man has been through he will no doubt carry a lot of anger, anger that is likely to allow him to avoid feeling powerless and helpless, for instance. The experiences what he reads about online will end up enforcing what he already believes.

This is then likely to create even more distance between him and women and make it even harder for him to experience fulfilment in this area of his life. Even so, what this will do is allow him to be right, and this is one of the ego minds greatest needs – being wrong is seen as something that will lead to death.

A Messy Situation

There are then women who hate all men and men who hate all women, along with men who hate themselves and pedestalize women and women who hate themselves and pedestalize men. Therefore, even though it is not possible to say that it is only men who are under attack, it is undoubtedly more socially acceptable to attack men.

If someone believes that all men / women are the same and is happy to see a man / woman suffer, it is likely to show that they are carrying a number of emotional wounds. If they were able to get in touch what how they feel below their anger and rage, they may find that they feel rejected, powerless, helpless and worthless, amongst other things.

A Reactive Existence

Being in touch with these feelings is then likely to cause them to feel incredibly vulnerable; whereas being in touch with the more surface level emotions (such as anger and rage) is likely to allow them to feel strong and powerful. But, while living in this way can allow them to feel strong and powerful, it is going to cause them to be controlled by how they feel.

Not only this, it will stop them from being able to realize that not all men / women are the same and to see them as individuals. What they believe will define how they experience life, thereby stopping them from being able to experience anything that goes against what they believe.

A Deeper Look

When it comes to the emotional wounds that someone can carry, what has happened in their adult life is certainly going to play a part. Yet, what is likely to play an even bigger part is what took place during their early years, and what has been passed down from their ancestors can also play a part.

What took place during their early years that can be what is defining how they perceive men / women and the kind of men / women women they will be attracted to and attract. If someone had a father or mother who was abusive, for instance, it would have most likely caused them to experience a lot of trauma, and, it would have laid down the foundations for them to be drawn to men / women who would also abuse them.

Two Levels

How they were treated at this stage of their life would have become familiar, and what is familiar is what is classed as safe to the ego mind / unconscious mind. The years would then have passed but they are still going to carrying the trauma of being violated and abused.

It is then not going to matter what their conscious mind wants to experience, as their unconscious mind will want to experience what took place all those years ago. The trouble is that if someone is not aware of how their early years are affecting their adult life, it will be normal for them to feel like a victim and to blame all men / women.

Self-Victimization

If going within and working through emotional wounds was easy, it would be a part of everyone's life One of the biggest challenges to doing this type of work is that the mind disconnects from the body to avoid pain, which can result in someone's inner wounds being projected onto others.

The people who they come into contact with will then press their buttons, so to speak, but they won't be able to see that these people are mirroring back what they need to resolve within their own being. Without this understanding, they can end up seeing themselves as a victim and other people as perpetrators.

Conclusion

If someone wants to grow and develop and no longer wants to feed into this drama, they may need to reach out for external support. With the assistance of a therapist or a healer, for instance, they will be able to gradually work through their emotional wounds.

But, if someone is caught up on their own stuff due to their current level of consciousness, there will be no reason for them to change. As a result of this, they will continue to live a reactive life and to play out their early drama.

[ad_2]

Source by Oliver JR Cooper

Views: 0

July 27, 2022
Sports Medicine

[ad_1]

Despite what the name implies, sports medicine is not confined to the athletic field. The branch of orthopedics consists of the treatment of injuries resulting from physical activity. These injuries can occur due to overuse, over-exertion, traumatic collision, or over-extension of the ligaments and cartilage of joints. Sports injuries can occur to any part of the body; however, the majority of sports injuries occur in the major joints, including the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle.

Minimally Invasive Rotator Cuff Surgery

A common sports-associated injury of the shoulder is a rotator cuff tear. Composed of a group of four different muscles and tendons, the rotator cuff coordinates the movement of the arm at the shoulder. A tear of these muscles due to a traumatic impact, repetitive motion, or a strong pull may result in serious pain and the loss of mobility in the shoulder.

Based on severity of the injury, a rotator cuff tear can be repaired through surgical or non-surgical methods. If pain is not relieved through non-surgical efforts and surgery is required, rotator cuff tears can be repaired through arthroscopic techniques. A minimally invasive procedure, arthroscopic surgery involves two small incisions for the insertion of a fiber-optic camera and specialized operating tools. Arthroscopic surgery usually results in the successful repair of the rotator cuff and an abbreviated and less painful recovery time.

ACL Repair Surgery for Knee Pain

A commonly performed sports medicine procedure is the repair of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) located within the knee. The ACL provides rotational stability to the knee and tears to the ligament occur due to over rotation, sudden changes in direction, landing incorrectly, or traumatic collision. Symptoms of an ACL tear include a 'popping' noise and the inability to put weight on the knee joint, followed by pain and swelling.
Non-surgical treatment options are available after an ACL tear; however, a torn ACL will not heal on its own and surgery is necessary to return to an active lifestyle. Advances in knee surgery techniques now allow a torn ACL to be repaired through an arthroscopic procedure. Arthroscopic surgery techniques allow for a faster recovery time, although an athlete will require at least six months before returning to sports.

Torn Meniscus Surgery for Knee Pain

The meniscus consists of two pieces of cartilage located between the thigh bone and the shinbone that act as cushioning and 'shock absorbers' between the two bones. Sports-related meniscal tears result from excess stress on the knee joint from traumatic collision, squatting, or over rotation, and often accompanies other knee injuries, such as an ACL tear.

Walking is still possible after a meniscal tear and athletes may continue to play through the injury. However, the knee will gradually become more stiff and swollen over a period of a few days. Non-surgical approaches to treatment include the RICE protocol of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. If the severity of the injury necessitates surgery, arthroscopic techniques utilizing a fiber-optic camera and miniature instruments will allow for the minimally invasive repair of the meniscus.

Shin Splint Repair

Shin splints are a common sports-related injury, as the condition results due to exercise-related overuse. Shin splints, or medial tibial stress syndrome, develop as repetitive, excessive physical activity causes muscle fatigue leading to extra force to be applied to the tissue attaching muscles to the shinbone.
Shin splints are treated with rest and a refrain from physical activity. Rarely do shin splints require surgery; however, persistent pain may indicate the development of multiple microfractures in the tibia. Microfractures are severe and may require the evaluation of a physician.

Achilles Tendon Repair Surgery

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body and connects the muscles in the back of the lower leg to the heel bone. The Achilles tendon is essential to mobility as it is used to walk, run, and jump. Tears can occur when the Achilles tendon is overstretched and cannot withstand the large forces exerted on it during physical activity. Pain and swelling accompany an Achilles tendon tear, as well as the inability to bend the foot downward.

Surgery is likely the only option to repair a completely torn Achilles tendon for patients who wish to return to sports. Surgically repaired Achilles tendons are more likely to return to near normal performance and less likely to be re-injured.

[ad_2]

Source by Blake Nonweiler

Views: 0

July 27, 2022
BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) – Online Trading System

[ad_1]

Gone are the days when you needed a broker to help you buy and sell stocks, shares and make stock market investments. Through online investment you can buy and sell shares with just a few clicks of the mouse. The economic and capital market in India cannot exist without a stock exchange; there are two main stock exchanges where transactions take place; the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). While all the major transactions take place here, there are over 20 different stock exchanges located across the country.

Online trading in India has changed the meaning of trading in the country. With no requirement for a broker, trading has become easier, faster and far more convenient than earlier days. Some of the major financial products and services offered through online trading are mutual funds, equities, general insurance, life insurance, share trading, portfolio management, commodities trading and financial planning. In online trading, the investor has to pay less brokerage as compare to offline trading. There is no need for any paperwork through online investing and the need for a middle man is eliminated. All the stock accounts are stored in a Demat account where they can be viewed.

BSE online trading was established in 1995 and is the first exchange to be set up in Asia. It has the largest number of listed companies in the world and currently has 4937 companies listed on the Exchange with over 7,700 traded instruments.

The only thing that an investor requires for online trading through BSE is an online trading account. The trading can then be done within the trading hours from any location in the world. In fact, BSE has replaced the open cry system with automated trading. Open cry system is a common method of communication between the investors at a stock exchange where they shout and use hand gestures to communicate and transfer information about buy and sell orders. It usually takes place on the ‘pit’ area of the trading floor and involves a lot of face to face interaction. However, with the use of electronic trading systems trading is easier, faster and cheaper; and is less prone to manipulation by market makers and brokers/dealers.

The BSE provides an efficient and transparent market for trading in debt instruments, equity and derivatives. This is performed through a system known as BOLT – BSE’s Online Trading System.

In the stock exchange, a key index is used to keep track of the important or the most traded stocks in the exchange. The indice used at the BSE while trading is the SENSEX and is displayed in all major portals, newspapers and magazines. It is India’s first stock market index that enjoys an iconic stature and is tracked worldwide. It is conducted on a free-float methodology and is sensitive to market sentiments and realities.

There are also indices such as BSE small cap, BSE mid cap and BSE500 to take care of medium and small companies. Furthermore, India index services and Products Limited has indices such as CNX Nifty Junior, S&P CNX Nifty, CNX 100, S&P CNX 500 and CNX Mid cap. The BSE offers 22 indices to suit a multiplicity of needs, inclusive of 12 sectorial indices. For example, the BSE PSU Index tracks the performance of the listed PSY companies and also helps the Central Government to monitor its wealth on the bourses.

The BSE has become a completely ‘corporatised and demutualized stock exchange’ through the use of online exchanges. With partners such as Deutsche Borse (DB) and Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) it has a global competitive force. BSE has strategic relationships in almost every part of the world- Europe (DB)), Hong Kong (ETF) and Asia (SGX), prominent public sector undertakings such as State Bank of India, Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India and Central Bank of India.

Benefits of BSE trading system in India for share brokers or newbies

There are a number of attractive services to empower investors and facilitate smooth transactions. Some of these include:

1) Investor Services: A range of services are offered to investors. Being the first exchange in the country to provide an amount of INR 1 million towards the investor protection fund, the BSE had launched a nationwide investor awareness program; ‘Safe Investing in the Stock Market’ under which there were 264 programmes which were conducted in over 359 cities in India.

2) BSE has an Online trading BOLT system: the online-Trading system (BOLT) facilitates on-line screen based trading in securities. Currently it operates 25,000 Trader Workstations which are located across 359 cities in the country.

3) The BSE has the world’s first centralized exchange-based Internet trading system – BSEWEBX.com. This system helps the investors anywhere in the world to trade on the BSE platform.

4) The BSE has an online Surveillance system (BOSS) which monitors on a REAL-TIME basis the price movements, the volume positions and members’ positions as well as real time measurement of default risk, generation of cross market alerts and market reconstruction.

5) The BSE has a training institute – known as the Bombay Stock Exchange Training Institute (popularly known as the acronym BTI).The BTI imparts capital market training and certification; in collaboration with a number of reputed management institutes and universities. There are over 40 courses to choose from on different aspects of the capital market and the financial Bombay Stock Exchange market.

[ad_2]

Source by Monish P Kumar

Views: 0

July 26, 2022
Why Customer Concentration Impacts a Business Sale Transaction
[ad_1]

Few owners recognize the major impact that customer concentration has on the sale of their business. Customer concentration represents a significant obstacle and will affect the salability, valuation, and deal structure of a business-for-sale transaction. Not only will it create problems in qualifying buyers but it will impact the ability for any prospective purchaser to obtain third party financing to complete the acquisition. Determining if customer concentration is present in an enterprise is a critical element of the succession planning process.

Customer concentration is a situation when one customer represents a significant portion of revenues or when the business has a very small customer base. Based upon the expert one consults, the exact percentage for a concentration to exist varies. In most cases it is recognized when one customer represents more than 10% of sales or when the top five customers comprise greater than 25% of a company’s revenue. In either situation, a huge risk is created from the lack of diversification and steps to mitigate it should be taken years in advance of a planned business exit.

When evaluating a business sale it is important for an owner to recognize that their client base has a significant impact on the enterprise value of the company. A broad and diverse base of customers where there are a large number of clients contributing to the business’ revenue will achieve a higher transaction value as it reduces the risk that a sizable decrease in earnings will occur if any one customer is lost or a particular industry segment that the business serves encounters economic distress.

In addition to a lower sales price, businesses with customer concentration issues are more difficult to market for sale. For main street business transactions (those with adjusted earnings of less than $2mm) third party financing is used in the majority of cases. Businesses with high levels of customer concentration are very difficult to get financed. Lenders may provide only partial financing, offer sub-optimal terms, or decline the loan altogether. In situations where third party financing is not available, the pool of available buyers is significantly restricted and the terms of a deal could be heavily weighted on a contingent earn-out based on retaining the revenues derived by the largest customers. “Typically we want no customer concentration over a 10% level when considering financing an acquisition. Higher levels are possible with much more explanation and supporting documentation but remain a major concern” states Steve Mariani, President of Diamond Financial Services.

Lastly, customer concentration will have a direct impact on the deal structure for the business sale transaction. Buyers will strive to bridge the customer concentration risk through a variety of delayed ‘performance based’ financing methods. For example: Assume both parties agree on a transaction price of $900,000 based upon $300,000 of adjusted earnings (a 3x multiple). If the key account in question represents $75,000 of the $300,000 this would represent $225,000 of the transaction price. A buyer will strive to isolate the $225,000 component to ensure that revenue is maintained post sale. After a period of 12 months, if the customer and income are still in place the seller would receive the funds. If the identified client and corresponding revenue was lost during this period, a pricing adjustment would be made.

In situations where the buyer is unable to obtain transaction financing due to customer concentration issues, the seller might have to accept a “contingent earn-out” for the revenues derived from the largest customers, or worse, they may also have to finance a major portion of the “non-contingent purchase price” negotiated with buyers.

Contingent payouts could be structured in a variety of methods:

Earn-Out:

Earmark part of the purchase price with payments made over a period of time contingent upon the retention of specific customers or achieving specific revenue targets.

Escrow:

A percentage of the acquisition price will be held in an escrow account for a specified time.

Seller-Financing:

The seller would be responsible for financing a major portion of the purchase price through a seller note. The seller note could be structured with contingencies for revenues derived from the largest customers.

With any of these deal structuring techniques, the seller cannot be expected to guarantee the revenue in perpetuity and if the transaction price is based upon retaining one or more key customers, the seller may require more active involvement in maintaining the client relationship during the term of the agreement. Obviously, this brings an additional complexity to the transaction.

In most cases, buyers will look to discount the amount they are willing to pay for a business (with high customer concentration) unless they receive assurances that the risk is low. While the obvious strategy to reduce customer concentration risk is to diversify and increase the business customer base, there are a number of situations where customer concentration either does not pose a significant risk or could be mitigated.

Customer Contracts:

Having a contract in place will not eliminate all of the risk of losing a key customer, but it will provide the buyer with security that the revenue and profits will continue after a change in ownership takes place. When customer contracts are involved, the ability to assign or transfer will be important to understand. In many cases, a stock sale vs. asset sale is elected to preserve these contracts.

Barriers to Entry or Exit:

Businesses could have intellectual property, product expertise, or patents that create competitive advantages barring competition. Others are located in geographically remote areas where the supply benefits discourage customers from changing the relationship. Lastly, there could be significant capital requirements for manufacturing and tooling or agency approvals (pharmaceutical or government contracting industry) that creates a barrier to entry from potential competitors.

Providing a Variety of Products and/or Services:

Having a broad relationship with a key customer where the relationship is not based solely on one product, one location, and one individual decreases the risk that a singular change will fundamentally impact the future revenue stream and continuity of the account.

Economies of Scale or Synergies:

The acquisition may be pursued by a strategic buyer where they are bringing new products/services to the enterprise, a broader geographic distribution footprint, or economies of scale in production. Any of these elements would assist in reducing the concentration of revenue risk that an identified key client would represent to the future organization.

Summary

Businesses which have high levels of customer concentration are inherently risky and it is important for the owner to appreciate this concern from the perspective of a potential acquirer. Ultimately, the buyer seeks only to retain the customers which have contributed to the success of the business and are factored in the valuation and transaction price. From the position of a buyer a few logical questions and concerns would be:
1. How does the value of the company change if a customer representing 10% or more of revenue and/or profits is lost in the first year?
2. How easy would it be for the client representing the customer concentration concern to leave the business?
3. What unique situations exist within the business to preserve the customer relationship in the years ahead?
4. What are the logical steps and corresponding costs to mitigate the customer concentration risk?
5. How do I achieve a win-win transaction? Protecting me, the buyer, against the risk of a near term revenue loss while providing the seller with the proper remuneration for the fair market value of their business?
While the risk may not be able to be totally eliminated, there are a number of situations where customer concentration is more palatable and a proper explanation should be provided to the buyer at the earliest opportunity. Getting out in front of this potential challenge is critical to achieve a win-win deal. When good communication exists, and two fair and reasonable parties are at the table, there are a number of structuring options available, when necessary, to mitigate the risk and negotiate a fair and reasonable transaction price. Obviously, the best approach for a prospective business seller would be to develop and implement plans to reduce any customer concentration elements years in advance of a business exit. Eliminating this type of risk is just sound advice for any small business owner regardless of whether a sale is contemplated.

[ad_2]

Source by Michael Fekkes

Views: 0
July 25, 2022
Breathing To Heal – How Yoga Helps Arthritis

[ad_1]

Arthritis is common but not well understood. It is not a single disease but a way of referring to joint pain or joint disease. There are more than 100 different versions of arthritis and related conditions. People of all ages suffer from this malady, and it is the leading cause of disability in America. According to the Arthritis Foundation, more than 50 million adults and 300,000 children have some type of arthritis. It is most common among women and occurs more frequently as people get older.

Common symptoms include joint swelling, pain, stiffness and decreased range of motion. Symptoms may come and go or stay the same for years. They can be mild, moderate or severe but may progress or get worse over time. Severe arthritis can result in chronic pain and an inability to do daily activities. It can cause permanent joint changes which may be visible, such as knobby finger joints, but often the damage can only be seen on an X-ray. Some types of arthritis also affect the heart, eyes, lungs, kidneys and skin as well as the joints.

Yoga is a set of practices with origins in ancient India. The word yoga comes from a Sanskrit work meaning "to yoke" or "to unite." It focuses on unifying the mind, body, and spirit, and fostering a greater feeling connection between the individual and his / her surroundings. Its main goal is helping individuals realize balance. Beyond this, yoga has several secondary goals, such as improving physical health and enhancing mental well-being and emotional strength.

In addition, yoga is associated with increased mental energy as well as positive feelings (such as alertness and enthusiasm), fewer negative feelings (reduced excitability, anxiety, aggressiveness) and sleep issues. In summary, yoga is associated with a wide range of physical and psychological benefits that may be especially helpful for persons living with a chronic illness such as arthritis.

As with any physical activity, it is important to take proper precautions such as checking to see that a doctor hasn't placed any limitations or restrictions on an arthritis patient. If a medical professional has specific concerns, get them in writing and give this information to the yoga instructor. A qualified yoga teacher generally starts a beginner with a gentle, therapeutic class. It is important that the class is led by an instructor who can guide one through safe and healthy poses.

Wear comfortable clothing that allows for full movement of the body. If it is too loose, the instructor will be less able to guide proper alignment but it should also not be restrictive. Clothing specially designed for yoga is available, but unnecessary. Yoga is traditionally practiced barefoot, though it may be possible to wear socks at the start of class, until the body warms up. Mats are used in modern yoga practice to provide cushioning and prevent slipping. Some studios supply mats for general use.

The general rule for arthritis patient is that if it hurts, stop. The old adage of "no pain, no gain" does not apply to yoga. When doing certain poses, arthritis patients should keep them relatively small and be aware not to hyper-extend the neck, keeping the head in line with the rest of the spine. For those with arthritis of the hip, be cautious when doing "hip openers" or poses with extreme external rotation of the hips.

Generally, there will be pain if one is going too far with a pose, but sometimes the effects are not felt until the next day. It is important to start slowly and expand the practice as the body dictates.

[ad_2]

Source by Sherry Lynn Daniel

Views: 0

July 25, 2022
Pompeii by Marry Beard

[ad_1]

Marry Beard’s Pompeii succeeds in several quite different and sometimes surprising ways. This is a guidebook, a history, a survey of social relations, a description of culture and religion, a catalogue and analysis of art, and an archaeological record. It is also an excellent read, highly informative, enlighteningly descriptive and scrupulously accurate.

Pompeii is a complicated site. At first glance, it may appear to be very simple. One day in 79 AD a coastal town in modern-day Campania, near Naples, which was then at the heart of a Greco-Roman culture, was buried under volcanic ash that spread from the eruption of the nearby Mount Vesuvius. The town was completely destroyed, smothered under metres of ash. The disaster progressed quickly giving the town’s inhabitants little chance of escape, let alone a chance to gather their possessions. This naive description might thus suggest that all archaeologists need to do is uncover what the ash buried, and first century life in a Roman town will be revealed.

The reality, however, is somewhat different. The volcano did erupt and did bring about the end of Pompeii. But the town had previously in AD 62 suffered an earthquake, which had damaged many buildings, some of which was still not repaired in AD79. And Pompeii has been excavated many times. Some digs a couple of centuries ago extracted treasures for the titillation of monarchs, before volcanic ash, original construction materials and much of the historical and other material was randomly piled back to fill the holes. On the other hand, some areas have never been excavated and others still wait to be uncovered, but possibly not for the first time. Much work in previous centuries was undocumented, so who would know? Only the finds, and only some of those, were lodged in museums, and the provenance of many of those remains unclear.

Such a complicated history presents tremendous difficulties for modern archaeologists. There are many layers of possible interpretation, many potential complications. A great strength of Mary Beard’s book is that she always acknowledges these difficulties and, where simplistic, convenient or fashionable positions might create more attractive copy, consistently she is cautious with her assertions and considered in her conclusions. Refreshingly, where evidence is lacking, contradictory or merely open to interpretation, she usually leaves the matter open, thus allowing the reader to appreciate how hard it is to be definitive about the unknown.

Descriptions of everyday life in the first century AD are in many ways reassuringly familiar, with one significant exception. The modern reader may be rather shocked by how much daily life seems seemed to revolve around sex. But Mary beard does point out several times that this may be an overstatement. One is tempted to imagine how a modern town might be seen, if, once buried and uncovered, all that could be identified were advertising hoardings along a street where the only shop not to be obliterated sold sex toys. Our contemporary lack of knowledge about Pompeii’s inhabitants is illustrated by our inability to decide what might have been stored in the terracotta jars that were built into many of the town’s shop fronts. Mary Beard points out that theories they might have contained wine or oil are undermined by the simple fact that terracotta is porous, so it is more likely they contained dry goods. In one shop, a jar may have been a till, because it was found to contain a stash of small coins. But who knows whether the shop’s owner, frightened by a sudden eruption, merely tipped a box of small coins into the jar in a vain attempt to fill the box with more valuable possessions that might be carried?

The area of life that was clearly different in first century AD was that of religion and beliefs. There seemed to be a market in gods, as well as one in goods, and most buildings seem to have paintings or altars dedicated to a panoply of deities, drawn from several different traditions. Whether people did pick and choose, or whether people’s origins or ethnicity dictated allegiance, we simply do not know.

Pompeii clearly did have its own version of mass entertainment, both in theatre and amphitheatre. There was even a famous riot after a disputed contest, where supporters from a nearby town fought with locals. It made regional news. There was also a local language that was not Latin, but we have precious little of its literature.

A concept such a slavery, which in the modern mind is inextricably linked with the trade of recent colonial powers, is yet another aspect of ancient Roman life that is more complicated than contemporary assumptions allow. Mary Beard regularly refers to the complexity of these relationships throughout the text and long before then end we feel we really have learned something about a culture that quite suddenly feels much more distant than a mere couple of millennia.

Mary Beard’s Pompeii is a brilliant book that is worth reading in itself. But anyone who has visited or plans to visit the site will find it brings the experience or memory completely to life. It is a comprehensive description of the site and its culture, but makes clear that there are still stones to be turned. Unusually, however, readers who previously might have thought they were well-informed on the history, culture and archaeology of Pompei might just find, after reading this book, that they knew rather less than they thought.

[ad_2]

Source by Philip Spires

Views: 0

July 23, 2022
Increase Your Chances For Personal Success

[ad_1]

Success, as most other things in the world, is a subjective thing. Two people may be in the exact same situation, say financially, but one of them may deem themselves successful while the other one may think of themselves as a financial failure. In fact, you may not consider someone to be financially successful and yet that person may think they are super successful. Likewise if someone does seem to you financially successful, it doesn't mean that this person has the same experience of themselves. And as we all know, how you feel about your life is what matters, not how other people think you should feel.

So now the question is: What do people who think of themselves as successful have that sets them apart from the ones that see themselves as a failure? Is it self-esteem? Is it confidence? Or could it be perhaps optimism? Are they sometimes delusional? Or do they simply have low expectations of themselves?

In my view, the perception of personal success is neither an expression of stupidity nor of some kind of limitless self-belief. Rather, personal success is a product of self-love.

Practicing deep self-love works on several fronts to guarantee your personal success. Firstly, it transforms your experience of who you actually are. And who you are is a divine being, perfection in all sorts of imperfect forms and shapes. As a result, your confidence and self-esteem go up, you become more optimistic and you start celebrating not only the big achievements but life in general. You see yourself as a success. Secondly, practicing self-love sends out a constant message to the universe: "I am worth it, please award me". And the Universe responds accordingly. You start attracting experiences and manifest achievements that reflect your worthiness.

Now, is the road to self-love a difficult one? It is, if you say so. But it doesn't have to be. Start small by saying "I love myself". No matter how fake it sounds, be consistent with it and the message will eventually get through to your core. If you want to take the short-cut, choose a therapy that works directly on the subconscious. And get this: experiencing self-love is not only going to help you feel successful; it will also help you experience true love for another human being. You can't love someone else if you don't love yourself first. Likewise, you can't be loved by other people until you can love yourself. So don't think that self-love is a selfish thing. Quite the contrary – learning to love yourself is actually the most altruistic act you could perform. If we all cultivate self-love, we will all be capable of loving others and feeling successful in life at the same time.

[ad_2]

Source by Vyara Bridgeman

Views: 0

July 23, 2022