Best Advice for Getting Started in Comedy

Jen Lambert on November 21, 2019

If you’re always making your friends and family laugh, there’s a good chance that you’re often told that you should be a comedian. If you enjoy comedy, writing, and being the center of attention, it’s something you might want to seriously consider. Once you decide for certain you’re ready to make the leap and break into the world of comedy, how do you get started?

While the odds are against achieving the status of one of the world’s highest-paid comedians – Jerry Seinfeld who has a net worth of $950 million, following these steps might just help you earn at least a decent living at what you love doing.

Material

If you want to get started in comedy, you must first have original material. Being a comedian isn’t just about being funny, you’ll need to have to write a lot of material, so writing skills are a must. The most successful comedians set aside at least a few hours a day to come up with new material. Start by writing about experiences that can often be relatable to your audience. When you can relate to your audience by talking about humorous things in your life, genuine laughter is often the result. It’s also important to be very observant. You can find new jokes just by people watching too, which will also help you better deliver a punchline when you can imitate body language. Staying up-to-day with current events is important so that your jokes are relevant to current events and pop culture as well. 

Practice

A successful comedian is always practicing his jokes on friends and new crowds. Sign up for as many open mic nights as you can and never turn down a gig. If you are new to the scene, there is no gig too small that won’t help you perfect your skills and delivery. Comedian Sam Greenberg has been on the scene since he was 14 years old, and even though very experienced, he still does a variety of shows from basement clubs to well-known venues like The Laugh Factory and Second City.

Learn

You can learn a lot of comedy tricks, including delivery and timing, by watching other comedians perform. When you aren’t performing or writing, watch and learn from others. Go to clubs and take notes. Watch your favorite comedy movies at home and YouTube videos of stand up acts to see what works and what doesn’t for other comedians. There’s a good chance it will spark at least a few ideas for new material.

Don’t Do It For The Money

If you truly love comedy and do it because it makes you happy, you are going to be more successful than someone who just does it for the potential to make a lot of money. Unless they’ve made it big in Hollywood like Seinfeld, most successful comedians don’t get rich – opening acts often earn $50 or even less per show while headliners get around $200.

How Your Website Can Boost your e-Commerce Sales

Jen Lambert on November 15, 2019

E-commerce has become a way to shop for millions of people across the globe. The electronic buying and selling products online or over the internet has revolutionised the shopping experience. As the owner of an e-commerce store, you only have a short window of opportunity to make a favourable impression on your prospective customers when they visit your site. During this window, the shopper will either stay and shop on your site or move on to the next site to look for more appealing products. Therefore, your product page is the most important page on your website. If this page is inviting and credible, it can drive conversions from the traffic visiting your site and increase your sales. There are a few factors that can assist you in ensuring that your product pages are notable and that when done properly, should result in your site visitors becoming paying customers. In the event that you would prefer handing the stress of designing, building, and maintaining your website to professionals, it would be a great idea to opt for Website Services that will assist with all your website needs.

Have a Page Design Blueprint

The way your products are exhibited on your site is important. The layout must impress a browsing shopper enough to buy your products so make sure your pages are not messy or crowded. Your layout must be modern and appealing so that you not only attract visits to your site but also convert those visits into a sale. Consider using a minimalist design that displays three or four products in a row and keep colours minimal so they do not detract from your products. Most eCommerce stores end up cluttering product pages with text and ill-considered functionality that muddle with the core message and call to action. It is vital to include the product description, customer reviews, and images or videos but the pages should be clean and minimalistic ensuring a satisfactory browsing experience for your visitors. The costs of your website should be apart of your business expenses. In addition to this, it would be wise to also create a marketing budget to help get your e-commerce business off the ground.

Visuals

When including visuals on your product pages, combine high quality 360-degree zoomable images with a quick view of your product. This will provide the customer with enough detail regarding your product. If your product is available in varying colours, include an image of these as well. Ensuring the visuals on your website are perfect can be extremely challenging and this is often one of the most notable reasons budding entrepreneurs take their website specifics to highly skilled developers and web designers. In order to achieve a visually pleasing website design, the help of a professional website designer would be priceless. 

Product Descriptions And Price

The descriptions of your products must give the customer a clear idea of what they are buying. The wording and tone of the page should be kept professional and factual without any technical jargon or cliches. Use a contrasting colour and a large font so that the product price stands out. If you are promoting any special offers or offering any discounts at the time, these can be mentioned next to the price so the customer can make a faster decision to purchase. As your main goal is to make a sale, place the add-to-cart button prominently on each product page. 

Testimonials

Including testimonials and reviews from your existing clients will foster a feeling of trust in your site visitors. Your replies to these reviews will also impress upon the visitor, what your business ethics and values are. An interactive chat room could fulfil both objectives at the same time. Customer focus surveys have determined that online purchase reviews can influence buyer decisions for most online customers. Showing your online store reviews on your product pages can result in a visitor making a buying decision in your favour.

Leveraging off Social Media 

Almost half the population uses social media to shop online and to search for product endorsements from fellow shoppers. If your product page is impressive, it can assist you in launching a social media drive to increase sales. It is, therefore, an excellent idea if your product pages not only display your brand’s social media channels but also allow shoppers to share your products across all social media platforms.  

As you can see, a superb product page is vital in keeping visitors to your site browsing for longer and ultimately buying your products. If you already have set up product pages on your e-commerce site, perhaps a revamp might be in order.

Everyone is a Loser in the Undoing of the Iran Nuclear Deal

Jen Lambert on November 15, 2019

Months after United States President Donald Trump took office in 2017, he started to signal his intention to abandon the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the so-called Iran Nuclear Deal implemented in 2015. By October 2017, Trump made his feelings officials by announcing that the U.S. would no longer be involved in the certification process, which follows evaluations by the International Atomic Energy Agency; since then, tensions between Iran and the U.S. have increased, and a fresh batch of economic sanctions have taken their toll on millions of cash-strapped Iranian families.

Since American and Iranian diplomatic relations are mostly adversarial, it was not surprising to learn that European Union leaders have voiced their concerns about Iran resuming uranium enrichment operations at Fordow, one of the most advanced nuclear plants in Iran, and we know this because of a recent inspection by the IAEA. While some geopolitical analysts have characterized this move by the Islamic Republic as being a bluff intended to upset the Trump administration, the fact remains that the enrichment of plutonium could be more than a provocation; it should be seen as a direct reprisal to U.S. policy.

It did not take long for the negative effects of the U.S. jilting the JCPOA to spread beyond the confines of Tehran and the District of Columbia. The Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for transit of oil tankers, has become a flashpoint where ships are boarded, seized, and sabotaged. The Persian Gulf has once again become militarized, and there are proxy wars underway in Syria and Yemen, two Middle East countries where Iranian and American interests have interfered since the beginning.

Along with the U.S. dropping out of the JCPOA, a new and damaging round of economic sanctions have been imposed against Iran, and the greatest impact has been felt by millions of people trying to make a living in Iran. Authors such as Middle East Expert Amir Handjani have written about how Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA has mostly hurt the middle and low-income class in Iran, a country where wealth and income inequality have increased to the point of becoming a humanitarian concern.

It should be noted that the JCPOA is not completely dead. The intention of President Trump was not to jettison the Iran nuclear deal; in his mind, the U.S. was not getting what he calls “a good deal” from the JCPOA, and he believed that unilaterally dropping out of the program would force the Iranian government to renegotiate so that the White House would end up getting better terms. Not surprisingly, this move has largely backfired, and it has brought about economic and political losses for many of the parties involved.

The remaining parties in the JCPOA, the European Union, China, and Russia, have declared their intention to continue supporting the agreement, which is not an international treaty, but it is considered to be of great importance for maintaining a geopolitical balance in the Middle East. With impeachment proceedings underway in the U.S., there is a chance that the JCPOA can once again function as it should in the near future.

Establishing an Online Presence to Boost Your Professional Career

Jen Lambert on November 12, 2019

If you are planning on having a career in today’s digitally driven world, you are going to have to spend some time working on your online profile. Consider the last time that you were curious about a person or a business. You probably went straight to your favorite search engine before combing through the results. As an aspiring professional, you must make sure that those results properly reflect who you are. Today, we are going to guide you through the at of properly decking out your online business pages in order to maximize your chance for success.

Building the Perfect Business Profile

Life as an entrepreneur or business professional can be tough. No matter what industry you work in, you are now competing with the global market. In order to maximize your impact for success, you’ll want to curate an efficient online presence such as this Crunchbase profile. At a glance, you can quickly consume plenty of information about this individual. They have their key information, business history, and even a splash of personality by way of their business profile picture. Now that you see what we are talking about, let’s discuss how you can craft your own perfect profile.

1) Watch For Opportunities – The internet is always changing. If you aren’t adjusting, you are falling behind. While websites like Crunchbase and LinkedIn are the social media business hubs of today, they might not always be. Make sure to establish a business page anywhere that you feel might be beneficial in the future. Places like Twitter and Instagram, for example, are becoming ground zero for business innovation.

2) Create a Cohesive Page – Whether you are building a website or creating your Crunchbase account, you are going to want to make sure that your end result looks cohesive. What do we mean by this? Simply put, if you are marketing a serious business or service, your page should reflect that. If you are attempting to be more approachable, make sure that your copy reads that way. Reflect also on the industry that you work in before filling out your page. You can use the aforementioned profile to get an idea as to how to craft something that is smooth and continuously cohesive.

3) Link Out Your Profile – In order to make sure that your search results properly reflect your business ambitions, you are going to need to link your business profile to all of your social media pages. Add your profile to your YouTube, Google, Facebook, and Twitter pages. By doing this, you will see your search results improve via the Google algorithm.

4) Add Personality – Finally, you are going to want to add something to your page that is uniquely your own. In a crowded business world, the only thing that makes you unique is your personality. So, make sure to offer something of yourself to your audience. Whether you want to talk about your passions or your affinity for travel, your viewers will appreciate the info and be able to use it to identify you among the sea of other professionals.

Integrations And Plugins That Will Transform Your Squarespace Website

Jen Lambert on November 12, 2019

When aiming to enhance the functionality of your Squarespace website you can choose between numerous plugins and integrations that will help you transform your site from ordinary to extraordinary. Because boosting web traffic is a major concern for businesses, enhancing your website is crucial. While plugins are third-party tools that can be added to your site through simple copy and pasting of code, integrations have been developed by Squarespace and will be available from your menu. 

However, it would be wise to make use of a suitable selection of plugins and integrations rather than adding as many as possible. To optimize the functionality of your website while also enhancing the user experience, it is vital to avoid over-doing your add-ons as this will create a chaotic website experience. The following Squarespace plugins and integrations will help make your website more dynamic.

#1 Google Maps Integration

With the Google maps integration on your website, your site visitors will be able to locate your business with ease. The integration will display your business’s exact location along with company details and contact information that will help guide potential customers to your business. The map can be personalized through color scheme choices and adjusting size and height options.

#2 Form Builder Plugin

Including customizable form thank you pages and forms is likely a necessity for your website. This plugin will enable you to include personalized forms on your Squarespace site that you can use to generate customer information, host surveys, run rewards programs, and more. 

#3 Banner Gradient Plugin

With this handy plugin, you will be able to add gradient overlays to the banner images on your website. You will be able to customize the gradient effect and enhance the visual appeal of your website with ease. There are roughly 74 templates to choose from, which can all be customized to your preferences. 

#4 Classic Accordion Plugin

The classic accordion plugin will allow you to include fold-out text boxes below your headline. The accordion-style fold-out box will appear when site visitors click on a text. This plugin will prove useful for including additional product or services information that may otherwise create a chaotic look and fill up too much space on your site. It is vital to add plugins to your website that will enhance the visual appeal rather than only adding to the experience.

#5 Payment Processor Integrations

To enhance the user experience, it would be wise to include a payment processor integration on your website. However, there are several great options to choose from, which means you will need to evaluate which solution will be the most suitable for both your business and your customers. Customer behavior shows that more than one payment solution will add convenience and accessibility and therefore it would be wise to make use of a payment processor that will enable your business to accept payments in varying currencies. It would be best to make payment solutions as vast as possible for your customers by providing appropriate solutions that are safe and secure.

4 Career Fields Requiring Continuing Education

Jen Lambert on November 11, 2019

Finding work you love in a field you enjoy can enhance the quality of your life overall. When you enjoy going to your job each day, everything looks and feels better. Some jobs and industries require ongoing courses to keep professionals current on laws and regulations and specific industry trends such as salary issues. Jobs requiring certifications and licenses generally require ongoing education. If you are considering work options, here are four careers that call for continuing education.

Medical Professionals

Doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, therapists, and pharmacists as well as other health care specialists are required to take ongoing classes to keep up with the latest developments in this steadily evolving industry. Courses are available from a number of sources ranging from the American Medical Association to online educational services. Where medical professionals fulfill their educational requirements depends upon their specific field within the health care industry.

Mortgage Loan Originators

The volatile industry of mortgage loans requires ongoing course work. Professional mortgage loan originators, or MLOs, have educational requirements to fulfill to continue practicing. These specialized professionals, also called mortgage brokers or loan officers, are key components in the process of seeking a real estate mortgage. Borrowers look to these industry experts for help and advice, so MLOs must be well-versed in the latest developments and requirements. Fortunately, there are accessible, quality sources of education for Nevada mortgage renewal professionals.

Teachers

With it being easier and easier to get your degree online, it is becoming much less difficult to follow states requirments for teachers to take continuing education classes to ensure they have the freshest information possible to be most effective at doing their jobs and maintaining required classroom records. Continuing education helps these professionals earn increasingly higher salaries as well as earn recertification to teach. Ongoing education for teachers matters because the more teachers know, the better equipped they are to teach children effectively.

Construction Professionals

From plumbers to electricians, workers in the construction industry are required to have continuing education classes to renew certifications and licenses. In these classes, they learn about new regulations, gain knowledge of emerging techniques, and become aware of best practices in their particular industries. Those seeking to rise through the ranks to become supervisors need additional focused training on issues such as sound business practices, current workers’ compensation requirements, and environmental issues such as handling hazardous substances including lead and asbestos.

Learning to Work

Many industries require professionals to take courses to be able to keep working. Continuing education allows people to renew certifications, learn industry best practices, and sharpen skills by hearing the latest developments in their fields. Professional classes arm workers with the latest knowledge about their particular industries, which ultimately helps everyone.

Benefits of Point of Sale Software

Jen Lambert on November 11, 2019

Running a retail business may be challenging but rewarding at the same time. With a dedicated team of employees, marketing strategies and the right type of business software, a retailer can look forward to a successful venture. A POS or Point of Sale software helps to automate many of the transaction processing at the cash register and is a time-saving investment. Here are a few benefits of POS software.

Transaction Management


When you check out at a cash register at the front of a retail store, you may encounter a POS system which consists of a display monitor for your purchase, a barcode scanner, an electronic payment system and a receipt printer. The brains behind the POS system is the complicated software that commands and controls the hardware. Every store transaction is tracked with the cashier’s id, store id, date and time of sale, sold prices, received payment type, rendered coupons or discounts and other miscellaneous data.

Customer Management

A feature that is often overlooked by a POS system is the ongoing relationship between a client and a retailer or CRM. If enough information is gathered about the customer beforehand, a business will have a more direct and individualized connection with a customer. Depending on the nature of the business, personalized customer profiles, spending history and buying habits can be tracked by the POS software. A smart POS system will be able to offer product coupons to the buyer on the fly at the checkout counter as a customer incentive.

Inventory Management


A store manager is responsible for maintaining the store inventory and doing this will be a nightmare without the assistance of a sophisticated software system. The POS software keeps track of every store item being stocked, sold, exchanged, returned and removed. Every sold item and who bought it is also tracked along with the cashier who was manning the register at the time. The sources for the inventory, usually wholesalers and other distribution channels are managed in the inventory system as well. For example, a pharmacy pos software will offer different prices for generic drugs versus brand name drugs depending on the supplier.

Employee Management


Employees are the backbone of a business and employee satisfaction will determine pretty much the success or failure of an organization. A POS application keeps track of employment history, promotions, pay scales, performance and suggests incentives for each employee while managing different levels of personnel.

As with any software, employee training is needed to understand and execute a POS system. It is worth the investment of a modern retailer who wishes to run an efficient and streamlined business.

These Are the Most Reliable Cars, According to Experts

Jen Lambert on November 5, 2019

As more North American drivers become interested in electric vehicles, auto industry analysts are evaluating the dominant automakers in this segment for the purpose of establishing reliability models. As of 2019, Tesla Motors was the clear market leader in this segment, but reliability ratings published by Consumer Reports indicate that the flagship Tesla Model S has lost consistency in terms of how mechanically reliable it can be considered.

Reliability is one of the most important factors automakers seek to establish for the purpose of staying competitive. It takes at least a decade for automakers to develop into reliable brands, which means that Tesla still has plenty of room for improvement. Becoming known as a reliable auto brand is a difficult process, and losing this distinction can be as easy as rolling out a single model that can be described as a lemon.

Thankfully for drivers, reliability is something that has progressively improved over the years, but some models stand out as having been some of the most reliable in history. If you are shopping for used vehicles, auto experts recommend that you consider the following models:

Geo Prizm

When General Motors struck a partnership with Toyota in the mid-1980s, executives failed to make this a marketing point. From 1984 to 1988, the Chevy Nova was essentially a Toyota Corolla, and the same situation applied to the Pontiac Vibe from 2002 to 2010. The Geo Prizm may not have looked like a Corolla, but its engine, drivetrain and chassis were built the Toyota way. It is not surprising to learn that many Japanese-American drivers often scan classified ads in the hopes of finding an old Geo Prizm in fair condition. The only problem with this model is that GM skimped on the interior, which is not very comfortable and somewhat fragile.

Pre-1996 Volvo Models

The Volvo Group is not just an automaker; it has a long history of manufacturing military vehicles for the Swedish armed forces, and this design philosophy was applied from the 1960s until 1996. Quality, safety, and reliability were the hallmarks of Volvo passenger cars until the brand was acquired by other automakers. If you find a rear-wheel drive Volvo station wagon on sale, you should be able to thousands of miles out of it as long as you stick to a maintenance schedule.

Seventh Generation Toyota Corolla

Owners of classic Corollas like to rhapsodize about their cars being more reliable than old Sherman tanks, but auto industry analysts will tell you that Toyota really hit its stride in 1992; this is when executives decided to add size and weight to all models, but a more important decision was made in terms of quality production. Japanese automakers have always been masters of building reliable cars through efficient management, but starting with the E100 Corolla class, the sourcing and manufacturing processes were thoroughly revamped to perfection. In Europe, Corollas were sold as Toyota Sprinters, and their reliability made them highly sought-after by German drivers.

Is It Safe to Get Chiropractic Adjustments?

Staff on November 5, 2019

Licensed chiropractors are well-trained specialists you can trust for professional and effective treatment. Getting a chiropractic adjustment is a common and safe procedure, although complications can happen, just as with any procedure. 

An adjustment isn’t a substitute for getting care from your primary medical doctor, but it can be an effective complement to your care. It is used at times as an alternative pain therapy to help patients reduce their dependence on pain medication. 

People most often seek out chiropractic adjustments to help them manage chronic pain and long-term back and neck issues. The practitioner will apply pressure to your body to help adjust and align your joints and other parts of the body with the goal of decreasing pain and improving mobility and function. 

Risks of Adjustments 

Research on chiropractic treatment has found that the benefits from an adjustment to your spine and other areas can be significant, but that certain risks do exist. Serious complications may occur in as many as 13 out of every 1,000 patients, and those can include strokes, spinal issues and potential neurological problems. These are usually related to a preexisting medical condition you may suffer from. 

Unpleasant short-term side effects like increased pain or soreness happen more often. You may also find yourself unusually tired or uncomfortable after an adjustment. Research on the safety and efficacy of chiropractic treatment continues, and many doctors already recommend chiropractic care as one possible treatment option among many.  

Speak to your doctor before considering a chiropractic adjustment. Then you’ll want to do your own research and get recommendations before you pick one to work with. If your chiropractor is properly trained, licensed and up-to-date, you can trust that the risk of any complication is very low.  

Conditions Effectively Treated by Chiropractors

Many people seek out chiropractors because it’s an effective natural treatment that lets them avoid more intense and expensive treatment options. Chiropractor adjustment for sciatic nerve issues has been shown to decrease pain more and for longer than electric stimulation of the muscles.  

Getting adjustments from licensed chiropractors as a part of a comprehensive treatment plan can help people significantly alleviate their pain from severe neck, back, shoulder and head pain without having to take nearly as many medications. Many patients come to chiropractors for treatment for migraines and cervicogenic headaches, as there are sometimes aren’t many other effective options available for those conditions.

People who receive this kind of treatment often see lower levels of pain and increased flexibility in stiff and sore joints and muscles. This natural treatment intervention can ease recovery times and even sometimes help patients avoid the need for surgery.   

Free Yourself from Chronic Pain 

If you suffer from extensive, long-term pain that stops you from enjoying your life to the fullest, there’s no reason not to speak to your doctor and consider if seeing a chiropractor might help. No one deserves to live with that much pain. 

3 Technologies That Can Help You Breathe Easier

Jen Lambert on November 4, 2019

When it comes to healthy living, people often think about heart health and weight loss. However, your respiratory health also plays a huge role in your overall well-being. New technologies, from artificial lungs to high-tech air purifiers, are improving the quality of life for people everywhere. Keep reading to learn about three state-of-the-art devices with the potential to change your life for the better.    

REME-HALO In-duct Air Purifier

Image via Flickr by pockethifi

The REME-HALO is installed in your HVAC system’s air ducts. From there, it produces and distributes Hydro-Peroxide Plasma, a naturally occurring gas that cleanses the air. By dispensing this gas throughout your home,Samm’s Heating and Air Conditioning consistently cleans and disinfects pollutants at their source. This is in direct contrast to many other air purifiers that require pollutants to pass through a filter before purification can take place.

This innovative product will help you enjoy better air quality by killing 99% of bacteria and viruses in your home. It will also rid your home of a variety of indoor air pollutants, such as dust and pet dander. The REME-HALO is easy for an HVAC technician to incorporate into your HVAC system where it can provide air purification for your entire home.

Hemolung

The Hemolung, a new type of artificial lung, is an innovative solution for those in respiratory failure. It does about half the work of a patient’s failing lungs, helping him or her recover and heal. In patients that qualify for it, the Hemolung can be used instead of a mechanical ventilator. The Hemolung allows patients to stay conscious, eat, and even chat with friends and family during their hospital stay. Conversely, mechanical ventilators require sedation and a breathing tube. This device greatly enhances a patient’s quality of life while they’re in the hospital, making the Hemolung a truly revolutionary medical device. While it’s not yet widely available, the Hemolung is expected to be used more often in the coming years, allowing thousands of people to have safer, shorter, and more comfortable hospital stays.

The 3M Respiratory Tracker

The 3M Respiratory Tracker is a wearable device that tracks your breathing and relays the information it collects to its companion app. Millions of Americans suffer from asthma and nasal allergies, and this new technology will help them take greater control of their respiratory health.

This device tracks your breathing, alerting you when it senses a problem. While the 3M Respiratory Tracker is helpful for allergy sufferers, it has the potential to be life-saving for asthmatics. By helping users anticipate problems before they occur, this device and app could potentially give people time to take action before their symptoms become life-threatening.

New technologies are rapidly improving the lives of people with a variety of respiratory issues. While many of these tools target those with life-altering health problems, such as asthma, others are helping make the world safer and healthier for everyone. Taking advantage of these devices can lead to a better quality of life for people everywhere.