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How to Run a Successful Video Game Development Company

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If you grew up as a gamer or are still an active player, they you may have dreamed of being a game developer one day. Or maybe you saw the success of a seemingly simple game like Angry Birds and thought you’d have a go at it. Truth is, starting a game company is more than a pipe dream and definitely possible if you have the know-how and determination to do so. Here are a few tips on how to establish a successful gaming company.

Gather Extensive Knowledge

Before you even start thinking of establishing your company, make sure that you gather as much knowledge as you can about the industry first. Read as many news stories, analyst reports, sales numbers, magazines, target research and market analysis as you can. Be sure to also read up on the type of gaming equipment on the market, either to buy them for your company, or know what you’re up against. One product that we recommend checking out would have to be the gaming laptop from Razer’s site (https://www.razer.com/gaming-laptops) which is steadily gaining popularity in the market. Once you have all this information, you can identify your target market and on what platform you will develop games, may it be home gaming consoles, portable devices or browser based social games.

Try to Get a Competitive Edge

The best way to get a competitive edge is by hiring better. What separates gaming companies is not just funding and marketing skills, but the quality of their teams. Try to hire for creativity, problem solving, hunger, intelligence and most importantly, passion, and make it clear in your game designer job descriptions. The most successful teams hire people with a genuine interest in gaming, people who are avid gaming fans and gamers themselves. This allows them to create games with the player in mind first.

Once you’ve built your team, make sure you communicate your core principles to them, the principles that make your company unique and aren’t altered by market forces, platforms or competitive influences. Then make sure these principles permeate every part of their work. Communication is key to building a build successful team in any industry, so the importance of hiring experienced communicators in the video game industry is not to be underestimated.

Find the Right Partners

You’ll most likely have to seek financial aid or a partnership if you’re just getting started in the industry. This is why it is important that you partner up with people who also have a deep passion and understanding of the gaming industry. You have to go with someone who understands the gaming development process, believes in you and your vision and is ready to support you every step of the way.

You should also seek partnership from more experienced mentors that could educate you on some of the aspects of the industry you may lack expertise in.

Create the Gaming Company You’ve Always Wanted

What separates brands like Apple and Google is their culture. Both have very different ways of working and company cultures to other brands in their sector, and that’s what sets them apart and makes them so successful. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through when creating a company culture and focus on the aspects you value the most.

Building a successful gaming company can be done if you know what you’re doing, and you have the drive and knowledge necessary to make it. If you follow the tips in this article, you’ll be one step closer to building a successful game development team.

Why Rules-Based Automated Underwriting is the Right Choice

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Underwriting|Why Rules-Based Automated Underwriting is the Right ChoiceUnderwriters have one of the most important roles in the lending process. They must ensure that their quotes are both attractive to prospects and lucrative for the company.

An underwriter collects a candidate’s information to set the amount, interest rate, and time period. This means that they need to go over data, statistics, laws, and regulations before making an offer.

Needless to say, this is a demanding and time-consuming job.

The solution? Rules-based automated underwriting.

Automated underwriting solutions give lenders the ability to make fast and accurate decisions, which are necessary for improving customer experience.

Automated underwriting platforms are able to process an application in mere minutes, shaving off days that would normally take a human underwriter.

Issues with Manual Underwriting

As the name suggests, manual underwriting requires a human underwriter to complete the process. Apart from the fact that manual underwriting is more expensive than automation, there are several other problems with this approach.

In order to give an accurate quote, the underwriter has to sift through huge volumes of documents. As a result, it could take days before a decision is reached. This makes it very difficult for lenders to respond to real-time demand when the underwriting process is so lengthy.

Also, since manual underwriting is performed by a human it means that the process isn’t error-proof and that the risk of inconsistent decisions is very real.

These are only some of the most common problems with manual underwriting that can have a disastrous effect on an organization.

Manual Underwriting Does Have Its Role

Every lender needs a human underwriter who’s going to assess difficult or unique applications. For instance, you would need the expertise of a human underwriter in cases where the client information is incomplete or seemingly contradictory.

However, while manual underwriting has its role to play, lenders are using automated underwriting platforms to quickly advance qualified applicants.

How Does Automated Underwriting with a Business Rules Engine Work

An automated underwriting system that uses a business rules engine to process loan applications first collects basic data such as addresses, social security numbers, employment status, and earnings details. Then the automation software uses this information to fetch more actionable data, such as the applicant’s credit score.

The automated system only needs a couple of seconds to do all the heavy lifting. Once the algorithm comes up with a risk assessment, the underwriter quickly reviews the result before issuing a formal offer.

Operational Efficiency

Automated underwriting streamlines the first stage of the underwriting process — it has the ability to instantly generate decisions that can take days to complete manually. In many simple cases, there’s no need for any human supervision.

Another advantage of automating the underwriting process is that there’s little human input. A business rules engine follows clear instructions that define each stage in the process. This means that the risk of mistakes is significantly reduced.

Conclusion

As long as the system has correct data, its decision will be accurate. Businesses don’t have to worry about things like transposition mistakes that can produce false assessments.
Automated underwriting is one of the best ways for lenders to become more competitive.
Automation can be used to underwrite a wide range of loans. Automated underwriting solutions are widespread and are available to both smaller startups and large established banks.

Legal Issues You Can’t Afford to Ignore When Starting Your Business

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Legal Issues|Legal Issues You Can't Afford to Ignore When Starting Your BusinessStarting a business can be a daunting task. There are so many things to consider, and you want to ensure that everything is taken care of before you get started. One thing that often gets overlooked is legal issues.

Legal concerns can be hard to navigate, and not understanding your rights could lead to major financial losses down the road. In this blog post, you’ll learn some of the most common legal issues businesses face when starting up and their solutions!

Have a Business Name

If you don’t have a business name, it can be difficult to get bank accounts or file your LLC. You need both the entity and its operation name for this step!

Register Your Business

You also want to register with the IRS as soon as possible to comply with any tax laws. The faster you do this, the less likely you are to run into any legal issues.

Signing Employment Agreements

If you plan on hiring employees, it is important that they sign an employment agreement before starting work. Also, make sure not to discriminate in your company’s hiring policies!

On the other hand, it’s essential to have multiple Labor Law Posters within the office to actively educate your employees on the rules and regulations.

Have a Lawyer

It is advisable that every business have a lawyer to create their operating agreements because this sets up the rules for how the company will run.

Legal Operations Every Business Needs

It is vital to understand the legal issues and protections you need when starting a business. There are numerous laws for taxes, labor, environmental protection, zoning, and many more that may not be obvious but can impact your business significantly if you don’t take care of them upfront.

Some essential items include incorporation and registration, trademarking (trademarking can also take care of website domain name registration), intellectual property, licensing to conduct business, and others. Apart from these, an organization also has to deal with commercial loans, construction and permanent real estate loans, equipment leasing matters, and more. As it’s mentioned here http://www.trippscott.com/practice-areas/creditors-rights-bankruptcy;  having a lawyer by your side can help you deal with these issues efficiently.

Incorporate Your Company

Incorporating your company will protect it from creditors and other debts after bankruptcy or dissolution. However, it’s important to note that a sole proprietorship is not an incorporated entity which means if you do not incorporate, then the risks are higher.

Labor law

If you have employees, it is essential to consider labor law which states that an employer must pay minimum wage and overtime as appropriate for hours worked over 40 hours in a workweek. It’s also mandatory by law to put together and maintain a set of workplace rules.

Other laws may apply depending on the type of business.

Know Your Location

It’s important to know the zoning for your business location. Some areas may not allow certain types of businesses or could be subject to other limitations that you should consider when deciding on a space.

Trademarks

Trademarks can protect against infringement and also serve as an indicator in interstate commerce, which is why it’s so important that you trademark your business name and domain.

License

A license is required to operate various businesses in the U.S., including selling alcohol, using toxic materials, or handling animals. Licenses may be granted by federal agencies like the FDA but also at the state level for certain activities as well.

The number one thing you can do before starting a business is to gather the necessary legal documents and understand what’s required. This will help you save time, money, and headaches in the future.

To make sure that you don’t get in trouble with the law, take a look at this list of legal issues to watch out for when starting your business. Do some research into what these things are and how they can affect your company, so you know what to be on guard for. Don’t let ignorance or lack of information put you and your business in jeopardy!

What Is Upward Mobility & Why Is It Crucial For Your Business?

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Upward Mobility|What Is Upward Mobility & Why Is It Crucial For Your Business?Upward mobility is a term that gets thrown around the business world quite a lot. This is something you might have seen somewhere before, and it’s highly likely you heard it when you were applying for jobs in the past. This is because it’s a term that relates to employment. Specifically, upward mobility is when a business provides employees with ways to rise up the ranks and improve themselves. It’s where you take an employee and make them a better version of themselves in one way or another.

How can your business do this, and why is upward mobility so important? We’ll start with the second question, culminating in a few ideas and tactics you can use to implement this approach in your business.

The importance of upward mobility

With upward mobility, you give your employees a chance to better themselves. They aren’t just stuck in a job that’s going nowhere, they can actively improve and open new doors for themselves. As you’ll see in the later section, the improvements and opportunities aren’t just related to their job. It can help them improve other aspects of themselves and their lives as well.

All of this comes together to mean that you have a group of very happy employees. You have people that are keen to work for you and stay working for you for a long time. They are getting a lot out of being your employee, so why would they leave? This reduces your turnover rate dramatically, saving your business a lot of time and money. Productivity can also increase as you have the same team working together for years on end – also boosting efficiency.

In essence, you don’t have to deal with teams being broken up as one or two people leave every few months. This would result in long hiring campaigns that drain your resources, and lost time as you wait for the new people to integrate. Upward mobility keeps your employees at your business for longer, and it makes them happier to work for you.

How can you implement upward mobility?

There are literally so many different ways you can implement this, which is why there’s no excuse to not do it. So many businesses from around the world present examples of upward mobility done right. One company called Grupo Caliente offers upward mobility by providing scholarships to different educational institutions. This lets employees train and gain new qualifications that can open up bigger career moves. Amazon is another company that offers upward mobility, giving all employees access to a training program to help them become leaders when they are hired.

There are plenty of other examples of companies that provide ways for employees to excel upwards. Essentially, you are looking for any type of training or development program or idea that gives your employees something extra. Perhaps they learn new skills, gain qualifications, or improve their education.

All in all, focusing on upward mobility can be crucial for your business. Keep your employees happy and focused, and the rest of your company will thrive.

The Essentials Every Student Nurse Needs

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Student Nurse|The Essentials Every Student Nurse NeedsStudent nurses are those that are partaking in an educational course. Unlike qualified nurses, they are on clinical rotations and their work is supervised by a nursing instructor. It can take a few years to be qualified and during that time, student nurses will likely work on different sites to test and enhance their skills and knowledge. To achieve the most from your education and time as a student nurse, here are some essentials you need.

On-site clothing

The role of a student nurse requires on-site work as well as educational sessions. Therefore, you must have the right clothing to ensure your and your patient’s health and safety. A few items you’ll need are scrubs, shoes, and PPE. Shopping for clothes and equipment is simple online. You can find scrub jackets at UniformAdvantage.com as well as other equipment.

After you qualify, you will require clothes anyway. Thus, getting them ahead of time will benefit you and help you transition into the role of a student nurse smoothly.

Compression stockings

As a nurse, student or not, you will be on your feet for most of the day. When you are standing for too long, you are vulnerable to varicose veins in your older age.

To prevent this, compression stockings will increase and maintain your blood flow, which will also prevent pain and swelling of the feet and ankles.

Stethoscopes

Stethoscopes are an essential tool that every student nurse needs. They are to be worn at all times so that you can check a patient’s heartbeat while on the job. You never know when a patient might require one. Or, you might be randomly chosen to perform a health check to test your skills.

If you are always well prepared, then you will be never caught out and looked down on by the staff. When you have the right tools, it shows you are ready and organized for any nursing situation.

Blood pressure cuffs

As a student nurse, you may often be asked to check a patient’s blood pressure. Most hospital environments have them attached to the monitors. However, it is ideal to have your own.

Moreover, as a student nurse, it is common for you to move around to different nursing situations, such as people’s homes. Thus, having a blood pressure cuff on you will be necessary to take the reading as the person you are caring for will likely not have one.

Penlights

Penlights are essential for checking a patient’s neuro status. When you shine a penlight into a patient’s eye, you can their neuro response through eye movements.

Penlights are cheap and very easy to carry around in your scrub jacket pocket. Always have one on hand because you never know what situation you might step into.

Dressing scissors

A common task for student nurses to achieve is to dress wounds. These are great tests to assess a student’s skills, so they will likely be asked by the nursing tutor or doctor on the ward with you.

So that you are always prepared and ready, having dressing scissors will ensure that you can efficiently dress the wound and cut the dressing.

You may also require scissors for various other miscellaneous uses, so they are always handy to have.

Watch

You will often be in a nursing environment for a long time. Nurses can work around 12 hours at a time, so you will want to check up on the time.

Student nurses are often given a schedule so that they can move around a hospital to work on different wards. If so, you will need to keep an eye on the time so that you aren’t late.

Sometimes you will be required to have your hands and wrists free of jewelry for the safety of patients. Thus, a pocket watch is a handy tool to keep an eye on the time.

Study guides

Whether you are on the wards or not, a study guide will be a good item to carry around to fill your spare time with. Or, if you become unstuck in a situation and lack the skills, you can rely on your guide to give you the help you need without pestering other staff. However, never be afraid to ask questions as that is how you learn.

A study guide is an essential piece of equipment as a student nurse as it is something to refer back to as well as enhance your knowledge on the move.

Tote bags

A tote bag can come in really handy when you are a student nurse. You will be able to carry around all of your essentials and be able to grab them easily.

A soft tote bag will be safe for patients and blend in well with your uniform.

In your tote bag, you can carry your study guide, stethoscope, scissors, and any other essential pieces of equipment you need.

Drug guide

All student nurses will be learning about the different drugs and medications and what they do. You might not know every single one. Thus, having a drug guide will help you assess what a patient needs and get it right.

You can find pocket drug guides, which will be easy to carry around in your tote bag or your scrubs pocket.

Badge holder

Student nurses will require a badge just like a qualified nurse. It signifies that you are eligible to help patients and work on the ward.

You must carry your badge on you at all times for the sake of the practice and its patients. To keep your badge safe, a badge holder is handy.

Note pads and pens

As a student nurse, you will be constantly learning when you are on the wards. You may often be asked to sit and watch a procedure or doctor care for a patient. When you are observing, it is a great time to take notes.

Note-taking will enhance your learning and help you remember some tips and tricks of the industry. Having a notepad and pen at hand all of the time will ensure that you can write down and remember everything that you learn.

A diary

Speaking of stationery, having a diary will be key so that you can organize your time. You will likely move from place to place and be in and out of education throughout your qualification. Thus, writing down your schedule will ensure that you are on time and never miss a session.

If you were to miss a session, it could delay your progress and stop you from learning every trick that you need.

Hand cream

When you are a nurse, you will constantly be washing your hands to free them from bacteria. This is for the health and safety of yourself and your patients. Thus, your hands might become dry and feel irritated while working.

To prevent this, carry around a travel-size hand cream so that you can keep your hands moisturized all of the time.

Anti-bacterial gel and wipes

To keep areas clean and bacteria-free, using anti-bacterial gels and wipes will help. Although most practices will have these lying around, it can be useful to bring your own so that you know where they are located.

A benefit of having anti-bacterial is for the sake of your patients too. Wiping down equipment in front of them will help them to feel at ease.

Flesh toned underwear

Many practices require white scrubs, which can sometimes be see-through. You won’t want anyone seeing your underwear. Thus, wearing flesh-toned underwear will make your underwear invisible.

Having dedicated underwear for work can act as a part of the uniform.

Voice recorder

Although you can write down notes, you might not have time to if you are doing a task. Therefore, having a voice recorder will help you record and listen back to the information that you heard.

A voice recorder will also be a great way for you to hear back a conversation and learn from how you dealt with it.

Clipboard

When you are working in a hospital environment, you will likely need to take notes to hand back to the staff. To do so, a clipboard can make the process easier.

Instead of having to find somewhere to lean on, you can use your clipboard and attach it to your uniform or place it back in your tote bag for easy access.

Podcasts

Although you will learning from your place of education and on the wards, you can attain extra knowledge from the outside.

Nursing podcasts are a great way to learn about real-life scenarios and educate yourself further. Hosts are typically nurses or those that work in the industry, which will give you an insight into how other practices work.

Meal and drink prep

When you are working as a student nurse, you might go to and from your education campus to the practice. Or, you might work incredibly long shifts. Either way, you will need to stay energized and hydrated. Thus, meal and drink prepping will ensure that you can eat and drink on the go.

Meal containers are useful for taking meals. Then, a flask is great for any drink of choice. You might require some tea or coffee to keep you alert during long shifts.