Enhance Your Bathroom with Simple Upgrades

A bathroom upgrade can increase your home’s value and improve your daily experience. While a full bathroom remodel can be pricey, there are several ways to enhance your bathroom without the need for major renovations.

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Change the Vanity
If your vanity is outdated, swapping it out for a more modern option can make a big difference. You can also repaint or replace the vanity’s hardware for a quick and inexpensive update.

Install a New Showerhead
An upgraded showerhead can elevate your bathroom experience, especially if you choose a water-saving or luxury model. Opt for features like adjustable settings or a rainfall showerhead to enhance comfort.

Replace Old Faucets
Old, worn-out faucets can make your bathroom look outdated. Replacing them with sleek, modern designs is an easy way to refresh your space.

Add Mirrors and Lighting
Mirrors are essential in a bathroom and can also act as decorative elements. Consider adding a larger mirror or unique-shaped ones. Coupled with upgraded lighting, your bathroom will look brighter and more spacious.

Update the Flooring
If your bathroom flooring is old or damaged, consider updating it with affordable materials like vinyl or ceramic tiles. These options are durable, water-resistant, and easy to maintain.

Conclusion
Small updates in the bathroom can significantly improve both its functionality and appearance. With these affordable ideas, your bathroom can look fresh and modern.

Secured Credit Cards – A First Step To Rebuilding Your Credit

Secured credit cards are not of much use to you if you already have a solid credit score. These cards require a cash deposit that will represent your budget for that card. For example, if you put $400 in the account, you would have a $400 line of credit. If you put $750 in the account, then $750 would be your credit limit. Secured credit cards are only given to individuals with no credit history, or to people who have bad credit and can’t get any other card to re-build their credit.Secured credit cards can be a great way to rebuild your credit, but there are several things you need to understand right off the bat:
These cards will have higher interest rates
These cards will have annual fees
Most cards will limit you to $300-500 starting out
These cards are not a long term solution to your credit woes

Since these are credit cards designed to help someone with a bad credit history (or in rare cases, none at all) get into the game, these are not going to be the best deals. However when there’s nothing else available a good secured credit card can help to rebuild your credit score back to a respectable level.The problem with secured credit cards is that there are some good, a lot bad, and some that are such rip offs they should be criminal. Reading the fine print is critical with these cards. To make sure you get the best deal possible, ask around to find the best rates. There are also several questions that you want to ask any bank you’re looking to get a credit card from. These questions include, but are not limited to:
Do you report to all 3 major credit bureaus?
Do you report this as a secured card (you want a card that doesn’t report to the credit bureau as a “secured card” as this can hurt your credit score even more)
Is my “collateral deposit” put into a savings account or CD?
Will the bank add to my credit after a year of on time payments?

That last question about secured credit cards is less important than the others, but could be a nice bonus that some banks offer. The most important question is making sure that your credit card payments are reported to all three credit bureaus. The whole point of getting a secured credit card is to slowly rebuild your credit profile. If your payments are not being made to the credit bureaus, then you’re losing the main point of having a secured credit card.Another detail that is extremely important before choosing a secured credit card is to make sure that not only is the card reported to the credit bureaus, but also that it is reported simply as a credit card and NOT as a “Secured Credit Card.” Luckily, we have helped you navigate through the secured credit card offers and recommend First PREMIER Bank Gold MasterCard®The reason for this is that many credit reports will actually dock you points for having a “secured credit card” because it’s a sign of bad credit history. Even if your card is a secured credit card, you want it simply reported as a credit card. The First Premier credit card reports to the 3 monthly credit bureaus without noting that the card is secured so you are able to rebuild your credit score using the most effective techniques.

International Business Organization Development Factors For Consideration

International Business OrganizationExport/International business can take on many challenges as it unfolds. Goal should be to construct the company’s strategic building blocks, using it’s assets to support international opportunities. The outline is formatted from a more basic approach, increasing through stages of complexity. There will be points below that overlap and dovetail. Some corporations may have already touched on many of these points. The examples below are geared toward the food/protein industries. Nevertheless, the concepts are transferable to many others. Below are organizational ideas for consideration:I. International Business Unit Establishment- Create P&L.
A. Budget to encompass 3-5 key trade shows and conferences that support the geographic strategy.- Restaurant Chain Shows (Subway, McDonalds, etc.)- Important shows that demonstrate a company’s willingness to globally expand with the chains.- Distributor Shows.- Trade organization conferences. Provide key insights to new emerging markets and trends i.e., USMEF, USDEC, etc.B. Forecasting- By product category and market to determine business profitability.C. Expenses- Identify expenses against the business. Be fiscally prudent.II. Geography- Are the most immediate markets being efficiently addressed by export? Begin with the immediate opportunities i.e., target nearest or import friendly international geographic markets.A. Canada-B. Mexico-C. Caribbean-D. Domestic Exporters-III. Export Product Portfolio- Product’s export potential? What are the popular US items sold? Using meat products as an example:A. Pork- More than likely highest export potential.B. Poultry- Certain drawbacks (Avian viruses), but often has the necessary price points for market entry.C. Beef- Still questionable into many overseas markets (BSE). Slowly improving.D. Other- Veal and lamb offer the specialty items often sought in many of the smaller boutique markets i.e., Caribbean. Should be a high margin opportunity?IV. Utilize and maximize current customer base. Grow internationally with domestic customers.A. Chains- What chains are currently being serviced (i.e., McDonalds)? What are the int’l springboard applications of those chains?B. Distributors- GFS,US :: GFS, Canada; Sysco, US :: Sysco, Canada…Sysco, Export
C. Schools- Offer products supplied to the US to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Guam have same requirements.D. Retail.V. Expand Geography- Be first in emerging markets. Chains, trade organizations and trade shows will assist in breaking into new venues.A. Australia, open to US pork imports. US plants must be Australian approved.B. Brazil and Argentina- as economies improve, so should pork imports.C. Middle East- Israel.D. Asia- SE Asia, Latin America.VI. Product adaptation-A. A commitment to international product customization. Overcome import non-tariff barriers through product modification.B. As point “A” is evaluated, determine volumes and pricing with the customer completing the value proposition.C. New protein introduction- Growing US Hispanic community looking to satisfy traditional diets i.e., goat. US ranchers begin to emerge from their traditional ranching habits to fill a consumer need. Shift creates new export opportunities.D. Profit Margin/Revenue Growth- Theoretically, there is no competition for custom production and margins should reflect business value.VII. Resource utilization-A. R&D efforts to meet a qualified opportunity. Example, a 51% breaded product can be exported to Canada vs. a product with less than 50% breading.B. Account Managers- Joint calls on corporate to further support the chains international expansions.Distributor Managers- Joint calls in evaluating immediate opportunities extending across borders.
C. School Managers- Joint calls in US territories to expand and maximize product presence.VIII. International Partnership Arrangements. Partnering/Joint Ventures with like businesses overseas. Some ideal targets are Japan, Australia, Mexico, China. Key defining terms…product novelty, business profitability, uniqueness, pricing, product demand, market distribution, language understanding, product understanding. If there is a commitment from an overseas manufacturer who understands the product/species, but lacks certain manufacturing capabilities, a partnership should be suggested.A. Responsibility considerations :o Raw Material Hedgeo Currency Hedgeo Brokerage Agreemento Time lineso Production Capacityo Legal contract/Export InsuranceB. Partner’s Responsibilities:o Volume Projectionso Co-Pack Agreemento QA Plant Approvalo End User Presentationso Stand-by Letter of Credit/Purchasing Contracto Exclusivityo Currency Hedgeo Other product opportunitiesNotice currency hedge may fall under both and is open for negotiation. It depends on relationship’s strength. Many times it should be for the account of the partner. An exception may be made to consummate the deal, or as a long term service insuring a yearly contract renewal.IX. Licensing- Often used as a barometer in evaluating potential opportunities and minimizing immediate risks.A. Brand Licensing- What is the true value of a certain brand in an international market? Would be determined by the partner company in that country.Example. What was the value of the Parkay brand in Canada? Became the second best Canadian margarine brand. Produced by Parmalat in Canada. Brand was licensed by ConAgra US.B. Technology- Minimizes capital overseas investment, while transferring US production technology.X. Mergers and Acquisitions- Up to this point a corporation may be supplying and evaluating their export potential. Simultaneously, it should be considering the business worthiness of certain key markets. Ultimately, it may consider investment in those markets.A. Partnership/JV company may be ripe for buy-out.B. Margin potential internationally warrants an acquisition for corporate diversification purposes.
C. Many similarities i.e., language, business culture, profitability, increased product demand from growing middle class, business supporting political environment.D. Overcome stringent food import barriers i.e., EEC. Example- Companies have improved international exposure, opening manufacturing plants within the EEC. An example has been the recent purchase of Sara Lee European brands by Smithfield.XI. Summary- These idea compilations are based on 20 years of international business experiences with four major corporations and an MA in International Business. No one size fits all. The outline can be used to build new profitable opportunities that may not otherwise have been realized or fully exploited.