1-     Lookout

Most technology experts agree that Lookout is one of the best free antivirus programs for both the iPhone and the smartphone. This application scans for vulnerabilities and creates backups of your important phone data, such as your contacts. While Lookout has important features like real-time scanning options, one of the features that makes this app stand out from the rest is its ability to notify you of unsecured Wi-Fi networks, especially since these networks are the easiest way for criminals to infiltrate your phone.

Lookout also protects your phone from loss, as it tracks the device by communicating with it if it\’s ever stolen or lost, and this same technology allows you to backup your phone data and manage it from the web. Lookout installation is very simple; you simply download it, and it\’s ready to go. The company\’s mission is phone protection made simple, and they are the world leader at doing just that.

2-     Avast Mobile Security

This is a security application from a well trusted and used antivirus program. The Avast mobile antivirus program is made by one of the leaders in Antivirus technology. The new avast mobile security has just as many features as the full PC version, and it\’s user interface is as easy to use as it is in the other avast products. With features like real-time antivirus protection, the ability to filter out SMS messages and calls, and the ability to track your stolen phone, Avast makes our top five pick.

3-     Zoner AntiVirus

Zoner antivirus offers a security suite that automatically scans your device for viruses and offers, like many other good antivirus applications, real-time protection mode, malware notification and website protection. But as one of the top 5, it also offers antitheft capabilities, and a unique feature, the ability to send password encrypted messages.

4-     AVG

Another long-standing antivirus application provider, AVG has been known as a top-rated, real-time antivirus software manufacturer for many years. This app stands among the top five free mobile antivirus because the AVG team is constantly on the lookout for new viruses, and coming up with updates to protect the devices it supports. Now, AVG also provides antitheft protection for tablets and smartphones. It constantly scans for harmful viruses, spyware, malware and infected text messages, thereby keeping all of your important data safe.

5-     Kaspersky

A leading antivirus protector, that has offered free, yet reliable antivirus light version protection for the PC industry. Now, Kaspersky also offers a free mobile version for users on smartphones. This new antivirus protection offers real-time virus protection, and scans your computer for spyware, malware and any other type of infiltration. However, the app also allows you to filter out unwanted SMS text messages and phone calls. The Kaspersky mobile version, like the full version, comes with cloud-based security scanner alerts that alert you to malicious applications, messages and virus attacks.

Bottom line

the android system’s popularity has turned it into every crook\’s favorite target, especially now that there are more than 700, 000 android apps in the Play Store. This alone offers great potential for malware makers, and it\’s here where a good security app has real significance.

The above five antivirus programs are the best free programs available, as they meet the entire tech requirements needed for a reliable security app. They include an anti-malware engine, which is able to detect, clean and delete any malicious apps and scripts. They often offer extra protection options to keep your smartphone safe; and some of these additional features include web protection, spam protection and massive commercial SMS protection.

Below are some tips and advice surrounding packaging materials, supplies and machinery to help you decide which you require.

Cardboard Boxes & Tubes

Yes, they sound simple and they are, however, purchase loads of flimsy or unstable cardboard boxes then you will perhaps have to throw them away and replace them with stronger, more durable cardboard boxes. There are different strengths available as well as sizes, the size of the box almost matters – make sure the cardboard box will leave enough room for the soft packaging material that needs to go inside the cardboard box, but make sure it’s not massive for a small item; the box needs to be compacted.

Cardboard tubes are often available in different colours and can be printed on. So if your looking for that personalised touch when trying to give a good impression to your customer. Customisable sizes are available, so what ever size you require, you should be able to ask for the cardboard tube to be cut to perfect lengths.

Printed Tape

This is your chance to really put your mark and image on the items you’re packaging and sending to your customers. If you have unique style or a good quality look printed tape, you will definitely be on your way to making a strong image/brand for your company. Not everyone that receives packaging will throw it away and could give them a reminder as to where they bought it from.

Company logos, different colours, sizes and so on can are available in many online stores or retail shops. Personalised messages can also be printed onto the tape and more often than not you will find printed tape on the outside of the package e.g. fragile.

Look at it from a customer’s point of view; when opening a package and its well presented with personal touches added, you will remember and appreciate the care that has gone into the packaging. You don’t want to be remembered for packaging that looks rubbish and as if you have just thrown it together, so this is your perfect chance to add that personal and caring touch.

Specific Packaging Materials

Specific packaging materials include the following:

• Stretch-film – ideal for when you need to use your pallet wrapping machinery

• Bubble Wrap cushioning material – any packaging that is sent out that is even slightly fragile, you should make sure you have bubble wrap surrounding the item in order to help ensure that there is no damage to the item, otherwise as you probably already know, customers will return the product and you will possibly lose that customer. It can take years to get a customer to repeat purchase and mishaps such as that, can cause a customer to not return.

• Tapes and dispenses – every business that packages products should have at least one tape dispenser at their disposal. Be sure to purchase quality tape dispenses.

• Corrugated Paper Rolls

• Air Cushioning – inflates polythene bags in order to create a cushioning that helps with protecting goods. Also these are recyclable, which if you are a company that appreciates recyclable products or packaging, this is ideal for your business.

• Pack and Wrap – these are packaging kits that enable you to package different sized items and have several packaging materials included. These are ideal for people selling items online.

Every business that needs to package goods is different and requires different packaging solutions. Just because one packaging solution is good or one business does not mean that this is the correct way to go for another. 

Like me, how many times have you bought or had an expensive gift bought for your child or children and they have simply played with the toy for 10 minutes and it’s all forgotten about? This way you will be sure to buy more gifts for the same as you would have perhaps spent anyway or you will save yourself a fortune.

Great Kid’s Gift Ideas Available for under £10

The following gifts are for both boys and girls (you decide which is most appropriate) that are appropriate for ages between 3 and 10 years old;

• Whirlpool marble run – a great gift for children 5 and under that enables hours of fun and enjoyment! The whirlpool can be used by more than one child and is very reasonably priced; prices start from around £5.00, which is a bargain.

• Torch – the Flashlight dinosaur torch is stylish and practical for children aged 4 and upwards. Children love to explore and what better way than exploring with a torch with dinosaurs on? Prices online start from £4.95

• Magic Chocolate starter pack – well what more could a child want than to make their own chocolate and chocolate shapes that is flexible and doesn’t melt? Well apart from when it’s eaten. The chocolate can be squished and isn’t sticky and doesn’t make a mess everywhere; so perfect for adults too – no tidying! Prices start from around £5.00 and is suitable for children aged 4+

• Animal pillow head cushions – if you need to get your children to bed earlier or help them to sleep, animal pillow heads are the perfect gift! Prices start from around £9.95 and are suitable for children aged 3 onwards.

• Sow and Grow Bug Eating Plants – suitable for all children aged 4 and upwards; make and grow your own bug eating plants. Great for getting the children outside in the fresh air for hours. Not only is this a fun gift for kids, but also educational, as they can learn about nature! Priced from around £7.95 

• Microwavable Animals – choose from cosy hottie monkeys to cosy Spaniels; these really are the cutest teddies and better still you can make them warm for the children to make them really cosy in bed.  Prices are around £8-9.95 depending where and what you purchase.

• Weird Science Lab – this is a glow in the dark experiment to make bouncy balls – this kit lets them create their own bouncy ball that is glow in the dark and will keep them playing for hours; make the ball then play – great fun! For children upwards of 5 years old and can be purchased at around £3.00, which is even better if you are on a tight budget and the kids won’t know, they’ll just love it!

So there you go! Some great gift ideas for kids, though there are many more gifts available for both boys and girls under the £10 mark that can be found online at various retail stores; perhaps try stores that specialise in gifts for kids.

Summary

Families do not have to purchase gifts that cost a lot of money, as there are some great gifts for kids available to purchase online if you look in the right places.

In other words, some students that have studied for example ‘arts and creativity’ find it very difficult to get a mainstream job as apposed to a student that has studies for example ‘English Language’. Not that studying art is wrong or incorrect, as people should study what interests them, but the opportunities after leaving university with a degree in art are fewer.

Why Study English? 

English is one of the courses to study unless you have alternative career plans such as wanting a career in the IT industry. I say the IT industry as there are far more jobs in IT than in Art. However, even if you do want to eventually have a career in IT, English courses can still help. English is highly regarded by employers all over the country and with qualifications in English there are various careers that you can go into, giving you varied career options and therefore, English is a fantastic course to study.

There are further opportunities than just finding work within the UK. Many people now wish to travel and work at the same time; universities, schools and even the public in France are always on the look out for English Teachers and whilst French would be ideal to learn also, it isn’t necessary. Also there are countries all over the world that require English teachers to teach their students, staff and businesses English language. Not only is studying English providing you with fantastic career and job opportunities, but they are also excellent and differ considerably.

Where to Study English

The UK has world class institutions and facilities available for students and with that comes first class education. There is no shortage of where students, whether domestic or overseas, can study English; Manchester, London, Newcastle, Liverpool and many more. English Language schools are a fantastic place of study and students are all interested in studying English, which is fantastic as each and every student has something in common and should therefore be able to gain many friends.

One of the best aspects of learning at an English Language school is that the teachers are highly qualified and experienced in teaching English, yes there are variation, such as business English, but all teachers can not only teach you English but they all offer a different slant also.

English Courses Available

So, has I have already mentioned that students wanting to study English can choose a more specific subject i.e. English Business, there are additional subject areas students can choose:

• General English Programme – for students who are not looking for a certain career area or prefer the course content of a general English course programme to study.

• English Work-Study Programmes – these can be designed specifically for the needs of students who want to undertake an English work-study programme in a particular area whilst being on placement – very much like a sandwich course offered by some university courses. Sandwich or placement courses enable students to get much needed experience in their field of study or interest.

• English for Military – military operations rely heavily on effective communication and the ability of speaking and writing English correctly and to a satisfactory standard. NATO and other allied operation bodies require you to have certain standards of English for obvious reasons; peacekeeping day-to-day overseas operations and so forth. Officers in particular must have a high standard of English both written and language – not only their own but others lives can sometimes be under constant threat. Examination is carried out in accordance with the Ministry of Defence Language Examining Board.

• English for Aviation – Yes there are even English courses for students wanting to go into aviation. In terms of communication, English for Aviation is very similar to military.

Summary

Hopefully you will have a clearer understanding as to why and where you can study the English Language. With many careers and jobs now requiring that you have a certain level of English, you can not afford to study English even if you need Basic English.

Mark has several years experience in offering language courses for students from a leading English Schools Manchester.

Also lifting gear must be maintained and checked when intermittently, which can cost a little in the short term, but the long-term is good investment and the law also requires you to do so. There are some lifting gear suppliers that offer a free maintenance check when you purchase certain lifting gear or if you spend over a certain amount on lifting equipment. Therefore, there are no excuses. In addition to the law and regulations, you should want to ensure the safety of employees and in some cases the public and checking equipment will minimise the risks of minor or serious accidents.

This brings me to explaining the different lifting gear types available from good suppliers that you can find readily available online…

Blocks and Hoists

There are three main types of blocks and hoists that you will more than likely need, especially if lifting heavy objects, these are below:

• Chain Lever Hoists – these can lift up to 9000kgs and no more.
• Heavy Duty Chain Blocks – these lift up to 5000kgs.
• Gin Blocks – a simple tackle block that consist of one wheel in which the rope runs over.

Each serves different purposes and ensures that if you do require a chain or block hoist that you purchase the correct one(s); don’t try using a chain lever hoist that will for example, lift up to 1ton if you need to lift an object that is 1.2 tonnes. This is very unsafe and will not suffice when it comes to lifting heavy equipment. You would need a chain that is able to lift heavier weights of that stature. 

Clamps and Girder Trolleys

There’s a vast range of clamps and girder trolleys available to purchase from suppliers of lifting gear. However, just ensure that any girder trolleys or clamps that you do purchase that you make sure they have been tested and are certified to a high standard. With there being so many, I have listed the categories below:

• Adjustable Beam Clamps – for lifting up to 10000kgs of weight and is adjustable in order to be versatile for different jobs such as lifting and pulling objects.
• Vertical Plate Clamps
• Horizontal Plate Clamps – Are suitable for lifting up to 3000kgs; some companies do offer to specialise the plate clamps so that heavier objects can be lifted.
• Push Travel Girder Trolleys – the capacity of push travel girder trolleys is 5000kg
• Geared Type Girder Trolleys – these have a capacity of up to 5000kgs and must be tried and tested.

Round Slings

Round slings able construction companies to lift objects of between 1 and 12 tonne; however, you may need to make several purchases as there are specific round slings that can lift certain weights and not up to. Furthermore, the round slings are colour coordinated depending on the weight that they are able to lift. This makes it so much easier to attach the correct sling depending on the weight that is required to be lifted; a busy construction site without colour coordinated round slings could turn out to be a complete disaster. 

What self storage units are used for

As mentioned, there are many reasons for hiring self storage units, these are explained below:

Self Storage When Moving House

Self storage units can be used for so many different reasons and most people don’t think about using self storage units until they really need them and to be honest I didn’t think about using self storage units until one day when I was moving house and really needed storage room quickly and this was most convenient for me. Perhaps it isn’t the best solution for everybody; some home owners moving house may already have somewhere else to store their furniture or whatever it is they need to store.

Moving house is a great time to use self storage units, as you can be waiting a few days or even a few months before being able to move your belongings into your new home; this happens a lot and with storage units being very cheap, this is a great solution to a problem that will crop up in many of our lives. 

Self Storage for Students

Students often get excited about going to university because they are away from home for the first time, they’ve heard some great party stories that students have and many just can’t wait to start. So where does this leave a student when thinking about storage? Well many don’t, as they have their minds on other aspects of university life; parents are usually the ones to think of the practicalities.

In this case, where is their son or daughter going to store their belongings once they start buying items for university life, such as furniture, books etc.  After all can all of their belongings that their son or daughter is taking with them going to fit in the car so they can make one trip? In addition, can all the items be stored at home, whilst their waiting to move into their student accommodation?  More than likely, it isn’t and therefore, has to be somewhere that is cheap and appropriate that they can store belongings.

Another situation that students find themselves in is at term time when they travel home and want to store their belongings in a place that is both safe and secure. Self storage units are perfect for this.

Self Storage for Businesses

There are so many businesses out there that could do with the extra space; whether that’s due to needing to store equipment, materials, furniture or items in general. Businesses that do store their items in self storage units do so due to the convenience, security and safety of their items. Businesses can get access to the storage units whenever they like, which is ideal and gives businesses the freedom to create that bit of extra space at the last minute.

Business storage units are relatively cheap and they can come in handy at any time; businesses that posses and sell stock will find that business storage units are a great place to keep their items, as some businesses simply do not have the required space in-store and therefore instead of purchasing or hiring premises that are larger in size and costs a lot of money, storage units could be the perfect solution to a problem faced by many businesses. 

Deep or Not?

Don’t go too deep, at least not all of the time. It is a fact that majority of women are most sensitive on the outer part of their vagina. So my advice you would be to try ‘dip’ the tip of your penis in and out and just see what response you get! Try for a few minutes then eventually go deeper. 

Forgotten Stimulation

When playing with a woman’s breast or vagina, stimulate other areas such as kissing her neck at the same time; this will give her a lot of pleasure and is perfect foreplay. You can also try kissing her inner thighs.

Take more time with your woman

I don’t just mean in terms of lasting longer when having sex, yes this is good but try spend a little time getting her aroused before having sex. This really will give you the biggest brownie points you can wish for. Women also like to have a little care and attention after sex so if your tired, at least give her a kiss and cuddle to show her she is appreciated and not just when having intercourse.  

Tell her how Stunning She Looks

Guy’s, don’t say this just for the sake of it, but mean it! Many women do not like being naked as they tend to have issues with confidence about their body or they feel sensitive and don’t feel very comfortable, even if she has been dating you for a while or even married to you, so let her know just how good she looks naked.

The second her clothes come off she feels vulnerable and sensitive. When she undresses, tell her what you love about her body.  And if she tries to turn the lights off, turn them back on to show her she has nothing to be embarrassed about.

Try a New Position with your Woman

Not only can you have loads of fun trying out new positions, but also you may just find a position that she can’t get enough of. One position I would recommend is the missionary position but with a pillow slid underneath her lower back; she will love the intimacy and also the great feeling that this position can give her and it will not scare her in trying it, after all it’s just a pillow… so give it ago!

Talk to Her

Talk to her whilst making love, even if it’s just intermittently. If you are shy then don’t worry, just let her know why you love making love to her and that you can’t get enough of her. Any woman should really appreciate that you are being caring whilst in the bedroom. Yes sometimes it’s great to be like an animal in bed, but not all of the time, so you should try showing her a caring side.

Cleanliness is Godliness

Guys, make sure you’re clean before you make a move on her or ask her for oral sex.  Women love it when a guy is clean and tidy; it can even be a real turn on, so make sure your clean! Shower, shave, clean teeth and smell good for your woman as she does for you, if she does, that is.

Aim for G-Spot Orgasm

Figures suggest that there are only 30% of women who have ever experienced a g-spot climax, and the rest, well they’re defiantly missing out! Every woman that has experienced this wants to experience it again, as it is pure ecstasy.  So make sure you’re the guy to give her what she desires! In my experience, the best way to achieve this is to use a curved finger, g-spot sex toy or for her to be on top whilst you help her reach her amazing orgasm – don’t go up and down, rub your penis at the back of her vagina.

Enjoy giving her Oral Sex

Any woman can tell when a guy doesn’t enjoy giving oral sex, but if they’re prepared to without flinching, then so should you and she will appreciate it if she doesn’t have to ask, but if you just go ahead and do it – try to enjoy it.  

There are many water treatment solution products available out there, but correct information and advice for you or your business can be difficult to find as there is a lot of information that is just not relevant for your needs. Sometimes you can find yourself ringing companies that specialise in water treatment solutions, but then you find that they try to provide you with the most expensive water solution. 

There are many reasons as to why businesses use water purification methods and systems, one of them being perhaps that the business wishes to have a never ending supply of purified water not only for visitors to their premises but also employees. I mean water is such a necessity, so why not make it taste as nice as possible for everyone?

Also it is very healthy for people that drink the water, which may help reduce the amount of days and time off for employees which overall increases productivity levels. That in itself is a great reason for investing in a water treatment solution product.

This article provides key information regarding two different commercial water treatment solution products, just to make life that bit easier and not using your own time having to carry out hours of research.

Water Softeners

Water Softeners enable the passing of hard water through exchange resin columns that is allocated inside a pressure vessel. This process takes on average 24 hours to complete, depending on the amount and type of water softener used. Resin is used to remove calcium and iron from the water and is eventually turned into brine, which sounds rather bizarre.

In addition, the amount of water that is able to be regenerated is due to the amount of salt in the water; the less salt, the quicker the process takes to complete.

There are two main types of water softeners available:

• Simplex Water Softener – are most appropriate for moderate and consistent amounts of use and often are meter controlled to allow for regeneration once water runs out or is timed. Simplex softeners take approximately one day for the water softener process to complete, so please bare this in mind.
• Duplex Water Softener – This is most appropriate for companies that need 24 constant regeneration of their water. These duplex water systems use 2 resin columns instead of just the one and are therefore, much quicker in completing the regeneration process.

Depending on your specific business needs and so forth, one or the other will work for you; that’s if you’re looking to purchase a water softener.

Reverse Osmosis Systems

The processes in which reverse osmosis systems undertake provide and enable a constant supply of the highest quality water. Chemicals, metals, bacteria and any bad elements within the water that is put through a reverse osmosis system are removed and therefore, purified. Even water containing high amounts of salt, such as sea water, can be purified to enable the water to be drinkable; this could stop and minimise many water related diseases that are currently occurring throughout the world.

The recovery rate is the most important in terms of the end result; the higher the percentage, the purer the water and reverse osmosis systems will achieve a percentage of 95 and above on a constant basis, whilst UK mains tap water achieves between 66 and 75 percent recovery rates, making reverse osmosis a fantastic water purification system.

There are several reverse osmosis systems available and depending on your specific business/industry requirements will more often than not determine the reverse osmosis system that is most appropriate for you to purchase. More often than not, a business will purchase reverse osmosis systems as a long term investment and will save you money eventually instead of having to repeat purchase on bottled water etc.

What Not To Say

I have written and reviewed hundreds of business plans and sourced funding from all avenues from Venture capital to straight bank loans. Here are the top five business plan statements that will decimate your chances of attracting funding instantly.

#1 – “The Competition is Low”

This is almost always going to be a false statement and is an immediate red flag for investors and lenders. If there is no competition then it means you have the next big thing on your hands that nobody else has invested yet. Not impossible but certainly not probable. This statement also begs the question, “why is the competition low?” If there is no competition it generally means there is no demand. Entrepreneurs often think that playing down the competition reduces the perceived risk in the business plan but in fact the opposite is true.

In all but the most extreme cases there will be competition and it must be analysed in detail as part of the overall business strategy. Claiming the competition is low (unless true) demonstrates that the level of competition risk has not been assessed and that means an automatic rejection for funding.

#2 – “We Only Need 0.01% Market Share To Succeed”

Usually used to mitigate the fact that the competition is strong, this statement is misleading and will arouse contempt in the eyes of an investor or lender. When discussing the size of your market it is important to demonstrate your “relevant market”. Your relevant market is the segment of the overall market that pertains to your specific product or service. Many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of talking in terms of the overall market without realising that they are overestimating the market potential.

For example, if you sell ladies designer shoes you are trading in the ladies footwear market, which runs into the billions of dollars per annum. However, in reality your relevant market is ladies designer shoes and is considerably smaller than the overall ladies shoes market. This is a common mistake and highlights a huge gap in the market research undertaken. Again, for an investor or lender this is unforgivable.

#3 – “Our Projections Are Conservative”

Why would anyone pitch conservative projections? While it is important to be realistic and have supportable assumptions for your projections it is always better to show the base case – what you will realistically make. Investors and Lenders look at hundreds of plans in any given year and this is one of the most common statements they see. Plus, they will perform their own scenario analysis on your projections to assess whether the proposal is a viable investment.

If at all possible try and do some scenario analysis yourself showing a base case, conservative case and an upside case. This shows that you have thought about the different factors that may impact your projections and demonstrates financial acumen. Pitching with conservative projections if you are trying to attract funding is tantamount to saying, “this is as bad as it will get.” It is much better to show what is probable, outline potential upside and demonstrate that if conditions do worsen you can maintain serviceability on your loan or can demonstrate to an equity investor what it means for their exit strategy.

#4 – “We Will Be Able To Sell In Two Years”

This may well be true if you are cultivating the next innovation about to descend upon the world, however, the general rule is that it takes time and commitment to grow a business effectively. Every business plan should have an exit strategy and investors will have there own idea about the timeframe around their exit. Claiming the company will be scalable and saleable in a short time frame is undesirable for the following reasons:

• It is virtually impossible from a standing start
• Management are more interested selling than growing
• It limits the investment to the “short term” status
• Dilutes confidence in the projections and strategy

Outlining your exit strategy is a golden opportunity to demonstrate vision and guile if presented in a fashion that is both reasonable and supportable. Investors want to make a healthy return for their investment, generally 10 times the initial investment. In ninety nine percent of cases this will take time to deliver and investors know it.

#5- “Nobody Can Copy Us”

The only way this statement is true is if you have an amazing invention that took years of R&D to develop and you have a watertight patent. Even then the patent will have a timeframe on it. This statement is used with alarming frequency and it incites contempt in the eyes of investors and lenders. Unless you do have that patent in your pocket do not claim this to be true in your business plan. It shows a level of naivety that condemns the proponent to “un-investable” status immediately. It will also generate a barrage of questions around the actual uniqueness of the product and the competition it faces. If you make this statement in your business plan it had better be true!

The Correct Mindset For Pitching A Business Plan

Your business plan is your strategic touchstone and should be moving continually with your business. Not only is it the internal heart of your strategic planning it is also a sales document and when pitching for funding it is helpful to remember the following points:

• View the plan from the audience’ perspective
• Cover off the risks and show a detailed action plan to mitigate them
• Set realistic business objectives and measureable milestones
• Know your top line numbers and market information
• Demonstrate how the opportunity will benefit the audience

Click here for more information on how to write a business plan

One: Save Money on Advertising and Promotions
Advertising is often one of the largest expenses for any business – particularly in its very early stages, when you haven’t yet built up a solid client base to rely on. Thankfully, Web 2.0 is here to help; Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest and all the rest of them are great ways to spread the word for free – particularly if you encourage happy customers to share their experiences with you online.

Two: Make Use of Something for Nothing
Running competitions is a brilliant idea, too. Put together a fun giveaway package, post it somewhere online and tell your followers that a winner will be randomly chosen from everyone who shares the update – the post will spread like wildfire, and everyone who sees it will learn something about who you are and what you do. Free marketing is good marketing!

Three: Insure Intelligently
There is always the need for the right business insurance, but there are ways of finding it that can reduce the premiums considerably. Make sure you’re protected against all the things you need to be – but only the things you need to be. Raise your personal liability as much as you think you could reasonably pay out up front, and it will drive down your premiums beautifully – but don’t go further, or you could find yourself in a bad situation if the worst does happen.

Four: Keep Your Data Clean!
Anything you send in the post costs – and depending on your mailing list solution, some digital mailshots might too. Start as you mean to go on and save your future self both time and money by keeping your data nice and tidy, free of duplicates and as up to date as possible.

Five: Look After Your Accounts
Approach money sensibly right from the off, and you’ll feel the benefits long-term. Pay off your credit cards monthly, avoid cash advances, and don’t give credit to customers or clients unless you’re totally sure they’re both willing and able to pay.

Six: Don’t Tie Yourself Down
You don’t have to find yourself a traditional office space to run your business from. With the internet you can work from anywhere; from home, from a temporary executive suite, or on the move from anywhere you happen to be. Even better, if you’re employing other people this will work for them too – plenty of people all over the world have never even met their bosses in person, working remotely from the comfort of their own homes. 

Seven: Think Outside the Office
If you do want official premises, traditional spaces are far from your only option. Small retail businesses will often fare better with a stall or kiosk than a brick and mortar shop – both of which will bring you fewer costs and more flexibility.

Eight: Save the Earth
Everyone knows that it’s good to be environmentally friendly, but sometimes people forget how much money it can save. Implementing a ‘green initiative’ – turning off lights, powering down gadgets, recycling as much as possible and generally doing your bit for Mother Nature.

Nine: Enter the Cloud
Anything Microsoft can do for paid, someone else – usually Google, but sometimes companies like Evernote or Dropbox – is doing for free, and at least in terms of cloud computing they’re usually doing it better. Try out a Dropbox account to save you money on hard storage, Gmail and perhaps Thunderbird to render Outlook obsolete, and one of the many available online calendars to keep on top of everything that you need to do. 

Ten: Practice Relationship-Based Networking
It’s generally not a good idea to give out too many discounts, but if you extend favours to businesses you know then they might be able to do the same thing for you. This way everyone saves money, and everyone’s happy.