Month: June 2021

  • 10 Journal prompts to start your work day right

    journaling

    By Bhumika Ramesh

    Having a work-from-home schedule can get hectic and exhausting. The line between devices and the world gets blurry at times. Doing a bit of Journaling in those small pockets of time you get rejuvenates the mind – it gets those cogs working! Journaling is an excellent medium to let those thoughts out.

    The prompts in this article will help you think deeper about what the questions would be asking. Introspection of oneself before starting a day provides a clear goal.

    1. What can I do today to make my goal(s) easier?
    2. What makes me feel empowered?
    3. How will today be different from yesterday?
    4. What can you do to improve your talents?
    5. Write someone a letter with whom you have an unresolved issue.
    6. What is one daring thing you would like to do?
    7. When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up and why?
    8. Picture yourself 10 years from now. What would you like to have achieved and experienced?
    9. What new habit would you like to create this week?
    10. Pen down a poem or a note on how you’re currently feeling.

    Taking that one step back and looking at the big picture can bring big changes to your routine. You’re going to be constantly honing your analytical and creative processes while Journaling, not to mention setting aside goals for the future.

    Hoping these prompts help you have a thought-provoking day!

    Want more Journaling prompts? We have created this list of 30 Journaling Prompts for you. Click this link to have it delivered to your inbox.

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  • How to manage your money when you start a business

    manage money

    By Bhumika Ramesh

    Business owners understand that planning finances is one of the most crucial processes on the path to self-sufficiency and success. With the higher rise of the number of entrepreneurs entering industries, budgeting and handling cash flow takes on a pedestal of importance. This factor shapes your company in the long run. The key to success depends not only on transactions or cash flow but also on the way money is managed. In this article, let’s go over a few tips that would enable you to start to manage money!

    • Prepare a lot

    Prior to opening up a company, understand your business plan – this will lay the foundation for the future. Make sure you have the willpower and passion – this journey will not be easy. Conduct market research and get to know your target audience. Assess your finances and use crowdfunding if necessary. Set up bank accounts for your company. Do determine the level of profitability. Legal professionals can always be brought in to clear up things and patent your products if need be. Nevertheless, always understand that there would be risks when undertaking these tasks.

    • Create a nest egg

    Having a cash reserve for a rainy day is never a bad idea. Emergency expenses always creep up. Set up a separate account for your emergency assets in order to ensure it doesn’t get mixed up with the others. Make sure they’re accessible and easy to withdraw when required. Review your emergency fund requirements every year to account for the changes taking place in your professional and personal life.

    • Negotiate everything

    When you’re just starting, it’s extremely vital to negotiate. There are more opportunities out there than you think – you need to know how to ask for it. Understand that pricing is not a dealbreaker – explore other options first before finalising. Any skill you have can be used for marketing, not just your main service or your main product. These extra skills can be very valuable when you have to jump through hoops. Try to learn to ask – you can get often more out of your deals in this manner.

    • Hire right

    Remarkable employees can build a great company. They enhance almost every aspect of your business. Use an agenda to keep track of what the company would benefit from when recruiting. Frame the right questions for the interview and analyse their credentials – this helps you segregate potential employees. Hiring the right employees – especially ones who take care of finances and taxes, can take significant hours off your work and allow you to focus on tasks that need your attention.

    • Know your next steps.

    Create blueprints for your business plans. These steps do provide a sense of stability. They could be as simple as securing clients or long term goals like building a community. Form deadlines to keep you on top of your work. Budgeting is also an essential step in creating business plans. You can find out where spending needs to be utilized and where it needs to be reduced. The better you get at this, the easier it is to manage and save up money.

    • Ask yourself when making decisions – what will investors think?

    When you have investors in the game, it is always important to go over your decisions. Investors would have invested in your company when they observe something they believe will bring positive results. Fiscal investors tend to observe the financial details a lot more closely. When you make decisions that affect the company’s functioning, make sure it lies in the interest and has the support of your investors.

    • Know your priorities

    It’s essential to know where you stand in terms of your priorities. Understanding what parts of your company require more attention and resources is crucial. This will allow for substantial growth. Planning your priorities with time as a check can be extremely helpful. Go through your priorities often – progress is never stagnant.

    Managing fiscal assets is no easy task. The more you experience and understand dealing with financial aspects of your business, the better you get at knowing where to put your profits – whether it be investing in the growth of the company or increasing market reach. Now that you have a basis for planning and managing your money wisely, you can glide through those rookie blunders!

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  • 5 ways to relax when you are stressed

    5 ways to relax

    By Bhumika Ramesh

    That hustle culture does more harm than you know! Well, life without stress is just a utopian ideal, but we all know stress is just inevitable – especially while facing the pressures of today’s world. Therefore, knowledge of handling stress is crucial to have on hand, especially when chronic stress can unleash damage on your mental and physical health. 

    Simple relaxing tasks and techniques can do wonders to the levels of stress. Let’s go over a few of them!

    • Guided imagery

    One of the best ways known to calm the mind down. It is a sort of psychotherapy by which one evokes and creates mental images that stimulate the senses. This practice helps your mind find its focus. These mental images are unique to every person – you can re-visit a nostalgic memory or create a whole new fantasy! Guided imagery releases tension and physically relaxes the body too. 

    • Take out that trash and tidy up

    Dismantling clutter – whether it be in your bedroom or the kitchen, gives the mind a sense of relief and a short term task to focus on. It also gives a sense of gratification after seeing everything spic and span. Cleaning also provides a slight amount of exercise, which also provides endorphins and you finish those tasks on a positive note!

    • Listen to those tunes and break out a move

    Music has a vigorous effect on the mind and our emotions. Slow and fast tempo beats can definitely impact your mind in different ways – the former calms and soothes whereas the latter improves concentration and focus. Dancing to music can make you feel like you’re floating on a cloud with all the serotonin and can leave you feeling recharged and ready to tackle new tasks! 

    • Aromatherapy

    Often known as essential oil therapy, it makes use of aromatic oils such as lavender, chamomile, clove and others to calm and improve the mind, body and spirit. There are various ways of using these oils: diffusers, oil droplets, bath salts, lotions among many. It stimulates the olfactory system which in turn (via the limbic system) create a subtle soothing effect. 

    • Write down your thoughts or start Journaling

    Penning down feelings, emotions and thoughts gets them off your mind. Writing down what you go through acts as an outlet for your mind. Journaling consists of much more detailed writing but it definitely serves as a great stress management and self-exploration tool. Going through words on paper help you view them from a different perspective – great for problem-solving! Keeping a gratitude journal is also a terrific alternative.

    Stress is definitely a hurdle we all face, and while focusing on tasks is good, relaxation is equally as important. Relief can be found. Hoping these tips help you to rewind after a dreary day!

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  • Things to Know when you start a business

    start a business
    Key to Success is as much clarity as possible before you get started

    – By Bhumika Ramesh

    For all newbie entrepreneurs out there, starting a business may seem exciting – however no challenge comes without its risks. Entering any industry requires us to keep our senses alert and eyes open for any opportunities that come our way. Today’s post consists of tips that can help you navigate and find that path to achieve your goals and conquer your dreams! 

    Let’s get right down to it:

    • Know your why

    Understanding the reason, purpose, and passion behind starting your business will motivate you to focus on your company, push forward even with obstacles, and stick through thick and thin. Your company’s purpose must be exhibited in its every facet – this is what makes it truly robust.

    • Protection of your intellectual property

    Intellectual property refers to the ideas, patents, copyrights, trademarks, and other items that make your company unique. These elements require legal protection as much as any other physical component of your company would. Invest some time in understanding your rights and where you stand on these elements – bringing in legal experts can be helpful. To make sure your idea is particularly unique, research the market and the industry to identify other products that may have the same use or look. These could pose problems later.

    • Hiring the right team

    Remarkable employees can build a great company. They enhance almost every aspect of your business. Use an agenda to keep track of what the company would benefit from when recruiting. Analyse their credentials to make sure it’s what the company requires. Frame the right questions for the interview – this helps you segregate potential employees. Do conduct background checks before sending out the offer letter.

    • Create emergency funds

    Keeping aside assets for a rainy day is never a bad idea – as we have seen with the pandemic. Budgeting is the most essential part to plan for emergency funds. Create a monthly goal to deposit funds. Setting up a separate account for the accumulation of funds is an excellent way to escape the temptation of spending. However make sure it is accessible and easy to withdraw when you need them. Review your emergency fund requirements every year to account for the changes taking place in your professional and personal life.

    • Plan for the cash flow

    Cash flow is an extremely crucial part of any company. It is the driving force that keeps the company on its feet. Review your bank statements regularly to monitor the status of cash flow. Make a note of all your expenses and other ways cash could be used up (rent, salaries, etc.) Create projections of your cash-flow statements – this is extremely useful for planning future finances and the growth of the company. Track your inventory (if you have one) and make sure it does not sit on shelves for long periods.


    Success and consistency do not arrive without hard work and perseverance. Ensuring your company passes all the hurdles thrown at it is not an easy feat. Here’s hoping some of these tips help clear the foggy sight, and make you take those first strides to reach your aspirations.

    Hiring a new team, read this post on how to onboard new team members

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