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 best place to buy whiteboard

 

best place to buy whiteboard

How LimeTray Cooked Up A Digital Menu For Restaurants With An Appetite For Tech

Our story starts with the realisation that restaurants making good food, six out of ten times, shut down in less than a year - Akhilesh Bali, co-founder, LimeTray A burger cooked with the right amount of spice, with mayo packed perfectly on top of crunchy lettuce and sauces that don’t overpower the patty’s taste, should not be hidden from the world. Also, people should know of the dum biryani that has been prepared over hours to let the marinated meat soak in the juices. But sadly, many restaurants that know how to satiate the palate fall short on managing their operations. Forever offline, they remain unknown to the world and fail to scale up. This is where LimeTray comes into the picture. “Our story starts with the realisation that restaurants making good food, six out of ten times, shut down in less than a year,” says Akhilesh Bali, co-founder of LimeTray. Founded in 2013, the restaurant management and marketing solutions provider helps restaurants in engaging with customers and selling more online. The product start-up has undoubtedly set foot in a segment with great hunger.According to a National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) report, the Indian food services industry’s market size is expected to reach Rs.5.99 trillion by 2022-23. “When it comes to the organised market, it is expected to grow at about 12% year-on-year till 2024. In the same time period, the point-of-sale market is expected to grow at about 20-25% as adoption of POS increases,” says Rohan Agarwal, director, RedSeer. And, LimeTray sits in a sweet spot, at the intersection of the two. With a base of You don’t want to be left behind. Do you? Our work is exclusively for discerning readers. To read our edgy stories and access our archives, you’ve to subscribe

How To Break Your Yo-Yo Debt Cycle

Having debt is a lot like gaining weight. As we get older, we tend to gain more weight, then many of us struggle to lose weight as we age. From there, our weight tends to fluctuate over time as we try new diets. Sound familiar? The same thing happens with debt. As we age, our debt (statistically speaking) grows, so we try debt repayment methods and our debt tends to fluctuate. We pay some down, but then it somehow bounces right back up from the holidays or emergencies. And that describes yo-yo debt. Many of us fight an up-and-down battle with our debt. We make great strides to pay it off completely (or get pretty darn close) but something happens and our debt bounces right back. It’s super frustrating. So in this article, I am going to show you some ways to break the yo-yo debt cycle. Tip: Personal Capital offers free tools to help you get your finances on track so you can break free from your yo-yo debt cycle. Learn more in our Personal Capital review. How to Break Your Yo-Yo Debt Cycle First, Recognize That There’s a Problem Before you do anything else, you need to do a little self-reflection and recognize that you have a yo-yo debt problem. This may or may not be easy for you. But a tell-tale sign is not only growing debt but a debt that seems to constantly fluctuate over time. Obviously, this is indicative of some poor money management skills. But don’t freak out. The good thing is you’ve taken at least the first step in reading this article, which tells me you’re interested in getting out of this cycle once and for all. Figure Out Why Your Debt Yo-Yos Once you’ve done some reflection, it’s time to dig into why this is happening. An easy way to do this is by loading your accounts into something like Mint and analyzing your spending for the past six months to a year. This will tell you where your money is going, how your debt has trended, as well as provide many other insights that you probably didn’t know were happening. This is going to be different for everyone, and I would encourage you not to make excuses for why things look a certain way — just get the facts for now. Open Up About Your Money (and Debt) Issues If you’re not open about discussing your debt, it tends to worsen. It’s no secret that talking about money, especially debt, is super uncomfortable. However, keeping it locked up inside and stewing over it on your own can be devastating to not only your mental but physical health too. Money can be a big source of stress us. So share your situation with a friend or family member. Or heck, write a blog about it and share it with the world. Be honest and vulnerable, and don’t be afraid to ask for help — either emotionally or financially. Get Serious and Set a Clear Plan of Attack It’s easy to feel like you have zero control over your money when your debt is going up and down. So it’s important that you take a step back, take a deep breath, and make a thoughtful, pragmatic set of decisions to outline a clear plan of attack. This might mean doing something like writing down all of your spending or your debts. It also might mean setting up a debt repayment plan like the Snowball Method. Whatever it is that works for you, give yourself a bit of mental space (i.E., stop spending for a minute and find a relaxing time and place to sit down and THINK) to come up with an ACTIONABLE plan that works for you. I recommend setting aside at least a few hours to whiteboard, mind map, or do whatever you have to do in order to come up with a creative solution to getting your finances back on track. Maybe it’s debt consolidation. Maybe it’s a new type of budget you’ve never tried before. Whatever it is, do SOMETHING. The important thing is that you take time away from your normal crazy life and write down what you want to accomplish. Remove Any Option to Yo-Yo Back Upward Take a look at how you spend money. For instance, do you frequently use credit cards? Do you shop during times of stress or at certain places? Once you’ve analyzed this a bit, you’re going to remove the temptation that surrounds them. For instance, if you always get takeout using a credit card on nights you work late, you can come up with a few solutions for this. Prepping meals in advance, taking your credit card out of your wallet, or just working fewer hours are some ideas that come to mind. The point here is to stop yourself from being able to fall back into bad habits. As human beings, we’ve evolved in a way that doesn’t make us very good at resisting temptations. So make your life a heck of a lot easier by completely eradicating temptation. Find New Ways to Get Motivated About Changing Your Spending Patterns I’m not talking about setting aside money so you can buy a diamond-encrusted dog tote, no. I’m talking about creating a system that helps you change your habits. This is the only way you’re going to have long-term success. It’s really important that you have an end goal in mind. In other words, WHY. Why are you trying to get out of debt? What would your life be like if you weren’t buried in debt? How would you feel looking back on a chart that shows a steep decline in balances instead of the “yo-yo effect”? You need to find your reason – or as Simon Sinek would say, your WHY. Once you start with why, you’ll be able to make lasting change and do something that will mean something to you. I’ll encourage you to read his book, but in essence when you start with why, you can see things a lot clearer. Sinek says that “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” That’s meaningful here, as it doesn’t matter what you’re trying to accomplish (i.E., pay off debt and stop the yo-yoing), but it DOES matter why you do it (i.E., to feel a sense of freedom to do what you love). This is a little philosophical, but if you can do some self-reflection and determine what your ultimate motivation is (your “why”), I promise you’ll have better long-term success. Be Thoughtful When Spending Unless it’s an absolute NEED (i.E., rent, food to get through the week) you should always take at least some time to think about your purchases before you spend money. This is going to be different for everyone. For some, walking around the grocery store for another five minutes is enough time. For others, going home, sleeping on it, and coming back the next day if you’re still wanting to spend the money is what it takes. It’s hard to make a sound buying decision when you’re pumped with adrenaline, tired, hungry, or any other mood-changer. So it’s critical that you use thought when you’re making a spending decision. One thing I recommend is asking yourself if the purchase will add to your quality of life. If it genuinely will, then it might be a good investment for you. But if it’s something that really doesn’t make you happier or any better off, it might be worth waiting or finding a cheaper alternative if you absolutely can’t wait. And at the risk of getting too weird on you, practicing mindfulness is really important. It sounds funny when we’re talking about money, but it’s true. If you take a few minutes to meditate each day, you’ll start to see improved cognitive abilities, such as decision making. This will, in turn, help you become far more mindful of your money. But regardless of what you do, I strongly suggest creating some time and space to make important spending decisions. Even unimportant ones (like that $5 coffee) can benefit from some time and space to think. Focus on Habit Changing What often happens when we get freaked out over our debt is we try to become too extreme. You realize your money situation is spinning out of control so you might try to do a spending fast or maybe save 70% of your income as some blogger told you to do. While those are awesome accomplishments, they are probably not realistic to do as a first step for someone struggling with yo-yo debt. So instead, focus on changing your habits. That way you’ll have long-term, sustainable success and you won’t have to do things that feel totally uncomfortable to spend less and save more. And honestly, it’s pretty easy to change a habit. Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit, says that there are three parts to a habit: the cue, the reward, and the routine. When a cue happens (i.E., you’re tired, hungry) you turn to a reward (i.E., you buy junk food because it will fill you up and make you happy for a few moments). This becomes a routine, which leads to a habit of spending money on bad food when you’re tired or hungry. So instead, Duhigg says to change the reward you get when you’re experiencing those cues. For example, instead of buying junk food when you’re tired or hungry, maybe you take a 20-minute power nap or eat an apple that you keep at your desk for when this time hits. After around 30 days of doing these “reward-swaps”, you’re statistically more likely to have it develop into a new habit. Now, for some, this is easier said than done, but it should at least give you a starting point. Hang Out With Like-Minded People I say this meaning the people you WANT to be like (i.E., frugal and money conscious). People who you spend the most time around will have a strong influence over how you behave. For instance, if you hang out with people who are really cheap and only spend money on what truly makes them happy (and even then, look for bargains) this may ultimately influence what you perceive as “normal”. While on the other hand, if you’re around other people who have new cars every year, spend like crazy, and save nothing, you may feel pressure (even subconsciously) to keep up with that style. And because you’re trying to get out of the debt yo-yo, it’s pertinent that you find people who are modeling behaviors you want to model. I’m not saying bail on all of your friends and family, but you should start to find new friends or new colleagues to spend time around at work that adopts the mindset you want. Ask them for advice or just soak up everything they have to offer through conversation. Trust me, after a while, it’ll work. Bottom Line Being in a debt yo-yo cycle can be scary and frustrating. But if you’ve recognized that you’re in this pattern, you’ve already taken one step toward breaking it. The above tips are just some of the ways you can break this cycle. But if you only take one thing away, remember to pause and think about not only your plan of attack but how you spend money. In nearly every case, nobody is rushing you to spend money; you may just feel like that. So take a step back and give yourself time to breathe. It might be just the thing you need to break the yo-yo.

Tech Trends In 2021: Fast Planes And Homeworking

 Images What will 2021 hold in store for Big Tech? Next year could be uncomfortable for the bosses of the world's biggest technology firms. Efforts are accelerating to curb the power of Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google owner Alphabet. Authorities, particularly in the US and Europe, are already getting tougher over competition issues and that is likely to be a key battleground in 2021. However, if your technology concerns are a bit closer to home, next year might also have developments for you. Get ready for more technology and services to make homeworking easier and more secure. For more on that, and tech trends in aerospace and retail for 2021, read on. Big Tech crackdown In the final weeks of 2020 large clouds rolled into view for Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple, which could make 2021 an uncomfortable year. Earlier this month, US federal regulators and more than 45 state prosecutors sued Facebook, accusing the social media company of taking illegal actions to buy up rivals and stifle competition. Also in December, the European Commission revealed its Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act - draft legislation that would completely overhaul the way Big Tech is regulated. In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority proposed a legally binding code of conduct and recommended that a new Digital Markets Unit be given the power to impose significant penalties.  Images Amazon has been charged with abusing its dominant position by EU authorities The tech sector will be very keen to see how the administration of President-elect Joe Biden handles Big Tech. In the past Mr Biden has been extremely critical of big tech firms, in particular Facebook. In a New York Times interview in January he said that a key piece of legislation that protects social media firms, Section 230, should be revoked. Section 230 says that social media platforms are not generally responsible for illegal or offensive things users post on them. In addition, some would also like to see the big tech firms broken up, in particular Amazon, Google and Facebook. Google is already under pressure. In October the US government filed charges accusing it of violating competition law to preserve its monopoly over internet searches and online advertising. In their defence the firms say they operate in competitive industries and supply services that are only possible from very big firms. As well as competition, the US could see action on data privacy. California already has a data privacy act, but there is pressure to have a national policy. Electric innovation The Spirit of Innovation will attempt to break the world speed record for an electric plane It has been a horrible year for the aerospace industry. One of the industry's biggest customers, the airline sector, is cancelling or delaying orders as carriers cope with a collapse in air travel. Despite that horror show, both companies say they are committed to research and development, in particular developing planes that have a much smaller impact on the environment. In September, Airbus unveiled three concept hydrogen-powered designs. Next year should see Airbus sign an important deal with Germany, France, Spain and Italy to develop a large drone - the Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned aerial system. The so-called Eurodrone is due to start flight testing in 2025. Also in 2021, watch out for an electric aircraft from Rolls-Royce called the Spirit of Innovation. The company hopes the sleek machine will break the world speed record for an electric aircraft by flying at more than 300mph. Retail evolution  Images Shops without checkouts could become a more common sight It's also been a disastrous year for many retailers. The trend towards online shopping went into overdrive, as customers were stranded at home during lockdowns. Retailers that survive may face a new technology in 2021. It's been reported that Amazon will expand its Go store chain - shops that don't have a checkout. For customers it would speed up shopping as they can pick up the products they want and just leave the store. A clever combination of cameras and artificial intelligence tracks what they have taken and bills them when they leave. More Technology of Business More than 20 stores are running in the US and the company is expected to start opening Go stores in the UK in 2021, although the online giant has not announced those plans yet. As well as saving money on the space needed for checkouts and the staff to run them, Go-style shopping also minimises contact with surfaces, which could be an attraction in a post-Covid world. According to Max Hammond, a senior director and analyst at Gartner, UK grocery chains are going to be monitoring how customers respond to the technology and considering whether to take it up themselves. "Does the customer experience warrant the expense for these retailers? At the moment, I think that's a tricky business case for them to come up with even though we're seeing a lot of proofs of concept," he says. Working from home technology © Mural Digital whiteboards like Mural have become popular as more people work from home It looks like working from home is here to stay. According to a survey conducted for CCS Insights, 60% of business leaders in Western Europe and North America expect at least 25% of their workforce, and in some cases all of their staff, to work at least partly from home - even when the pandemic is over. Many big firms have already committed to homeworking. In October, Dropbox said all of its staff could work from home and Twitter has the same policy. Microsoft and Facebook have also said a significant number of their staff can permanently work from home. That is a juicy new market for tech firms to exploit. You can expect more special work from home packages to be offered by internet service providers and other tech firms. "Security is definitely part of our predictions when it comes to working from home activity, and that could be a package. Not just an extra line, but maybe a separate router, maybe a router with security, maybe some other services on top, even things like IT support because a smaller company might not have a remote IT support person," says Marina Koytcheva, vice-president of forecasting at CCS Insights. Watch out as well for extra features when it comes to software to help people collaborate while working from home. So-called digital whiteboards like Miro and Mural have seen a surge in popularity - Mural has added more than a million active users this year. Its technology gives staff a visual representation of a project that everyone can add to. Autonomous cars On the streets of Phoenix, Arizona more than 300 cars are operating by themselves, collecting and dropping off passengers with no human driver at the wheel. It is part of the Waymo One service which, in a first for such an autonomous service, was opened up to the public in October. With the backing of Google's parent company Alphabet, Waymo is leading the way in autonomous cars in the US and in 2021 it plans to extend the service in Phoenix and beyond. "As we continue to gradually scale up our capacity, we will open up our service to more riders through a fully public app. We look forward to making Waymo One available to more people in more places too," a Waymo spokesperson said. Rivals are not too far behind. Cruise, which is owned by General Motors, is testing its service in San Francisco, a city where the weather and street layout is more challenging than sunny Phoenix. In October Cruise received permission to test its autonomous cars without a human driver as backup and the plan is to launch an autonomous service like Waymo's, but the company has not said when that might be. Lyft is also testing its autonomous cars in San Francisco. It is thought to be further behind Waymo and Cruise. Meanwhile, in December Uber ditched its attempt to develop its own self-driving cars. The firm sold its autonomous vehicle division to Aurora Technologies, which is backed by Amazon, as it focuses on its taxi and food delivery services. In China, PMT is leading the way. Earlier this month, its fleet of 25 cars in Shenzhen began testing without safety drivers or remote control. Follow Technology of Business editor PMT on Twitter


 

best place to buy whiteboard

best place to buy whiteboard