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Is No Win No Fee worth it as a business owner?

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |No Win No Fee|Is No Win No Fee worth it as a business owner?Unfortunately, as business owner things don’t always run as smoothly as desired and from time to time you may find yourself in a situation where expert help is needed to help remedy your problem. If you ever need to hire a solicitor to take on your legal work as a business owner, you may look to do this on a no win no fee basis. It seems like the most sensible option, right? “I don’t have to pay anything if I lose” you may be thinking, but when you delve into the process, what really do these four words mean for you?

What is a No Win No Fee agreement?

No Win No Fee is the term used for a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Simply put, this is a contract between the solicitor and their client which allows them to charge their fees at the end of a case. However, this does depend on the outcome and will be highlighted to you as to how this works from the off.

If a case is lost, the client does not pay their solicitor’s fees. If the case is won, the client pays the solicitor’s fee plus an uplift on the fees at the end of the case. This additional cost is known as a “success fee”, which can be anywhere up to 100% of the base cost and is determined by the solicitors on a risk assessment of the case.

From April 2013 when the law changed, you are now no longer able to recover the success fee from your opponent, and are liable to pay the solicitor yourself from any damages you recover. Alternatively, should you win the case, this means you’re not liable for your opponent’s success fee either.

Why No Win No Fee is actually a good option as a business

It’s important to remember that a lot of solicitors will actually agree their success fee upfront with you, so if you’re looking to get a full picture of what the final cost might be should you win, always choose a reputable company who will be open with you. Doing extensive research in advance of choosing someone to represent you is key to how good the outcome will be for you and your business.

As a business, it may be beneficial for you to head down the No Win No Fee route, as it avoids you having to fork out and pay any hefty costs should you lose your case. These are often costs that many small businesses simply cannot afford to pay out for and do not make for a financially savvy decision.

Another offering to look out for from your solicitor is After the Event insurance. This type of protection covers you in the event that you’re liable for the defendant’s costs if you lose your claim. It’s just another assurance and will give you and your business even more peace of mind that your finances are protected! Making sure you take a full look at the services offered by the solicitor you’re thinking of taking your case to will put you in the best possible position for a favourable outcome.

Doing the research and getting the right protection is key

As with anything, make sure you research thoroughly before choosing your solicitor and ensure that you get the right protection put in place for you and your business from the start. This will enable you to be in with the best chance of you winning your case and also of also paying a fair amount in terms of additional fees when the case is closed.

How to Write a Dissertation Proposal

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Dissertation Proposal|How to Write a Dissertation ProposalA dissertation proposal is a stepping stone towards drafting the final dissertation essay. It is an exceptional document which informs the audience of the goals and objectives of dissertation research, as well as the course of action taken by the researcher. The primary goal of a proposal paper is to exhibit how your dissertation research will supplement value to the existing knowledge in your fields of study to your academic supervisors. Drafting a perfect dissertation proposal can be challenging if you do not know the format of writing one. Hence, instead of struggling with it, you should consider asking for writing help from respectable and professional services such as Perfect Essay.

Getting dissertation writing help is an efficient means to use to learn how to draft one. The structure of a dissertation proposal may vary depending on your academic level, discipline, as well as the paper size. Nonetheless, the contents and structure do not vary. But, it is essential to consult with your professor to learn more about the guidelines necessary for formatting and structuring a dissertation proposal before you begin the writing process. Lucky enough, below are some tips and guidelines that you can use to learn how to write a dissertation proposal.

Follow the departmental guidelines

Before you start writing your dissertation proposal, find out the amount of time left to complete the assignment. Each graduate program varies. You may have to begin working on your dissertation with immediate effect, or you may have to get a few coursework years and comprehensive exams to start. Regardless of the amount of time you have, ensure that you adhere to and follow the dissertation requirements. How long does it have to be? What structure should you use? How should you format it? Who are the committee members? Answering these questions will help you best know how to write your proposal.

Select a list of topics that interest you

Now that you know what the task requires of you, it is time that you come up with a topic for your proposal. Brainstorm and jot down a list of dissertation topics that interest you. Read through examples of dissertation proposals to identify the topics you may use to write your proposal. After listing all your topics, conduct preliminary research on them and gather as much information as you can. Not only will you familiarize and accustom yourself with each potential topic but also give you a better idea on if it is necessary to conduct more research.

After your research, talk to your supervisor about the list of topics to choose from. Then, narrow your focus until you settle on a particular one.

General introduction of your topic

Once you have the perfect topic for your dissertation, it is time you introduce the readers to your proposal. A good introduction ought to engage the interest of the audience and provide crucial context for comprehending the rest of your proposal. Your dissertation introduction should:

  • Abridge or recapitulate the general context as well as the scope of your topic.
  • Denote to previous literature on the topic in a concise manner and address the evidence types available.
  • Summarize the particular questions as well as problems you will address in the proposal in a succinct manner.

But, if you do not know how to write a catchy introduction, seek professional advice from a skilled writer.
List the problems your dissertation will address

Write a terse or short ‘statement of the issue’ in a paragraph or two. A statement of the problem is a succinct summary of the knowledge gap you aspire to fill with your research and what filling this gap may accomplish. The ‘statement of the problem’ may either be a part of your introduction or a separate part. But this depends on the task’s requirements as well as the topic. Nonetheless, when writing a dissertation proposal, you need to jot down all the issues that you will address.

Explain your aims and objectives

This part of your dissertation proposal ought to discuss, in extensive detail, the aspects of the issue you intend to explore. In short paragraphs, discourse:

  • The primary objectives of your research, that is, the questions you hope to answer.
  • How you presume your research will fill the gap or offer an original contribution to your area of study.
  • The main focus of your study, including the fields you do not want to address and why.

However, if you do not know how best to elucidate the goals and objectives of your dissertation proposal, consider asking for assistance from a custom essay writing service. Let an expert guide you on how best to go about it.

Make your first draft

Now that you have all the crucial information to draft the dissertation, you can begin making your first draft. But, if you feel that you encounter challenges along the way, purchase a dissertation proposal example from an essay service and use it as a guide. Let it help you learn the format and structure you should use to write your dissertation proposal.

Proofread

After you write your dissertation proposal, remember to proofread and edit before forwarding it to your supervisor. Your work is bound to incorporate a lot of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Go through it more than once to ensure you eliminate all these mistakes. Additionally, you need to ascertain that it flows in a smooth and systematic manner and that there are no contradicting points.

Also, you can hire an expert from a professional essay service to revise and edit the task for you. They may come across some of the errors you missed. Moreover, they will help ensure that your task is high-quality.

Meet the deadline

Time is one of the most crucial aspects you need to consider when managing your academic writing assignments. When working on your dissertation, as aforementioned, you need to find how much time you have to complete the task. If the assignment is too urgent, and you have too many tasks to work on, get help from a write my essay service. The experts from this company can help you meet your assignment deadline.

In conclusion, to write a perfect dissertation proposal, you need to know what it is, the purpose it strives to serve, its structure, as well as the format. Once you know all these, drafting one may not be too complex for you. However, you are bound to encounter some challenges along the way depending on your field of study, academic level, and size of the paper. But, this should not trouble you as you can always hire a professional writer for assistance. Furthermore, above are some effective dissertation writing tips that you can use to produce a great dissertation proposal.

3 Common Shipping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |common shipping mistakes |3 Common Shipping Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemDid you know that UPS and FedEx each ship around 34 million packages each day?

If you’re looking to ship a package, you need to focus on how you can avoid certain kinds of shipping mistakes. If you don’t do this, your package might experience some kind of damage while it’s in transit.

Below you’ll discover three common shipping mistakes that people tend to make. If you avoid these shipping mistakes, your packages should arrive safely at your chosen destination.

Let’s begin!

1. Not Paying for the Right Kind of Shipping

One of the biggest mistakes people make is not paying for the right kind of shipping.

Most of the time, this happens because people are trying to save money. However, in some cases, trying to lower the cost of shipping can often lead to an increase in overall costs.

That’s because the item you’re shipping might ‘break’ due to the fact that you didn’t select the correct form of shipping.

In some cases, you might select the wrong kind of shipping, simply because you don’t know much about shipping. For instance, if you’re looking to ship a painting, you might use a ‘standard’ form of shipping.

Yet, in situations like this, couriers actually offer a dedicated form of shipping for those that want to ship paintings. If you use such shipping, your painting will receive special treatment, and this will lower the odds of it being damaged during transit.

Following this, always make sure you speak to your chosen courier company before you ship a given item. They’ll be able to tell you what kind of shipping is right for your chosen item, and this will then help you minimize any issues.

2. Not Packaging Your Items Properly

A lot of people don’t know how to pack items properly, and so their packages often experience an excessive amount of damage during transit.

If you want to package your items properly, you should use some bubble wrap, or even ‘packing peanuts.’ You might also want to invest in a high-quality box that will be able to withstand lots of bumps and scrapes.

3. Not Focusing on Presentation

Another thing that people forget about when it comes to shipping is presentation.

This is especially important if you’re shipping out items as a business, as your packaging can have a big impact on how people perceive you.

If you want your packages to look good, you might want to hire someone to help you with the package design. You should also think about coating your packages so the design doesn’t fade while the item is in transit.

If you’re going to coat your packages, you can generally choose from aqueous coating or UV coating. If you’d like to learn more about each option, this post takes a closer look at UV coating vs aqueous coating.

Will You Avoid These Common Shipping Mistakes?

If you avoid these common shipping mistakes, your package should arrive safely at your chosen destination.

In some cases, you might still experience shipping problems, even though you’re doing everything right. This can happen if you’re working with a lackluster courier, and so if you’re in this position, you might want to work with someone else.

Did you like reading this blog post? Go to our blog to see some of the other content we have to offer!

How Can I Choose Management Software That’s Right for My Church?

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |management software |How Can I Choose Management Software That's Right for My Church?Thinking about what software is best for your church but aren’t sure what to consider?

It needs to work with your growing congregation by recording and offering the right information. But what information does that include? And what features are a must-have?

This article looks at how to choose the best management software for your church.

We consider 5 areas where the right software can help your church to grow. From event registration to money management, you’ll discover the easiest way to administer your membership.

1. Event Registration

In the pandemic era, it’s essential to track who will be attending your church events.

Smart management software allows your church attendees to register online on your website or via their phone. The system can even print labels for when they arrive. And you can market your events on social media directly from within the application.

The system is self-managed. So that means less time worrying about administration and more time focusing on the events themselves.

2. Contributions and Finance

Keeping records of donations, contributions, and other financial records is a must for any company. But it’s a legal requirement for non-profit organizations.

Non profit money management is governed by FASB rules.

They produce the GAAP principles which state how non-profits should have a fund accounting system in place. As not all software offers fund accounting bookkeeping, it’s essential to choose the right service.

Some members audit their giving and ask for a financial breakdown. So you also want to keep track of your church congregation’s individual contributions.

Churches also have to separate donations to see how much money has been donated to each mission. The right software produces reports that can do this with ease.

Using the right technology not only keeps your books in order but also ensures you’re compliant with current legislation.

3. Church Attendees

Do you know who attends your congregation? When they came? How to contact them?

Church management software can record a range of basic contact details. That could include names, addresses, and phone numbers. But it can also flag upcoming important dates, family structures, and volunteer data.

Working with children and young people also requires guardian information. And everything needs to remain safe and secure.

All church apps include a secure connection and control access. No one gets to view sensitive data who isn’t cleared to do so.

4. Member Communications

Constant communication is the key to any organization’s success. And that’s especially true of a church.

The best apps integrate email, text messaging, and social media alerts. That means you can share prayer requests with just a few taps.
Members can also contact other members using your secure online directory. That’s great for building up teams like worship and prayer groups.

5. Combined Calendar Management

Matching your events and attendees with your calendar may seem like a chore. But with the right software, it’s a breeze.
As most apps are modular-based, it means they work together to create and manage your calendar.

You can track individual members’ attendance, for example. Or if you postpone an event the app automatically updates everyone on the guest list.

Choose the Right Church Management Software

We’ve outlined five issues to consider when choosing the best management software for your church.

Remember to factor in cost, support, and minimum agreement terms before signing up. And if you need advice on issues like smart management read our other online guides.

Topics include strategy, monitoring, execution, and smart marketing. Remember to download our podcasts to keep up-to-date with the latest StrategyDriven advice.

Fun Ways to Market Your Brand

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Market your Brand|Fun Ways to Market Your BrandMarketing is one of the most crucial elements of growing any business, whether it’s established or brand new, big or small. Without effective marketing campaigns, all of your hard work goes to waste. You could spend years trying to get seen, struggling to make sales, and feeling frustrated. Many entrepreneurs even give up.

For bigger businesses or those with more money to spend, marketing is often one of the first jobs that they consider outsourcing to the experts. This is undoubtedly a worthwhile investment, and one that can grow your audience, build trust and drive sales enormously.

Unfortunately, however, for many newer or smaller businesses, this isn’t an option. They are forced to use their own skills and learn as much as they can, or to rely on the talent already in their company.

The good news is, with the tremendous growth of social media and internet usage, it’s easier than ever to market your brand. Digital marketing allows you to reach a far wider audience, find your people and build your brand, without spending vast amounts of money.

The better news is, it doesn’t have to be boring. Effective marketing isn’t all about writing content for your website or hitting those social media share buttons. There are some more creative and fun ways that you can boost your business. Here’s a look at some of the best.

Get Out into the Community

Most modern marketing methods, and certainly lower budget methods, focus on digital marketing and online campaigns. While these can be exceptionally useful, there is still value to marketing in the real world and getting off the computer. Some of the most fun marketing methods are actually out in your local community.

Work with Local Businesses

If your business sells to or works with the local community, working with other companies can be a great idea. Attend, or start, regional networking events, get to know other business owners and look for ways that you can collaborate. Even if it’s just supporting each other online, and meeting to share ideas, it could be useful.

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Market your Brand|Fun Ways to Market Your BrandCommission a Mural

If you’d like to get more creative with your marketing, what about commissioning a mural? Find a talented local artist to paint your logo or an image that is personal to your business, on the side of your building.

Hit the Streets

Chalk drawings on the footpaths might not last very long, but they will certainly get noticed. Pick an area with passing footfall, or close to your premises, and draw quirky pictures or quotes on the sidewalk.

Flyers and Posters

Flyers and posters might seem old-fashioned, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t still be fruitful. Flyers and even business cards can work well, as they are something tangible that people can walk away with. They don’t need to make a brilliant first impression or communicate information quickly. The recipient can take them away to process later.

Sponsor Events

Sponsoring events and working with charities on their events and fundraisers is a brilliant way to both get your name out there and also to build a reputation as a caring brand.

Have Fun with Clothing

Clothing is made to be seen. It’s probably safe to say that unless you are a clothing brand, or have a trendy logo, people are unlikely to buy clothing with your name on. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t wear them, and so advertize your business, if you give them away for free. Have t-shirts printed and put socks in goodie bags at tradeshows and conferences. Click here to look at some cool options.

Think Outside the Box with Sponsorships

When you think about sponsoring someone, as a brand, you might think of well-known brands on the front of sports shirts or at stadiums. But, many groups, businesses, companies and community spaces are seeking sponsorship to help them to make money, especially in the current climate. Think of sponsorships that could benefit your business, even if they aren’t closely related to what you do, and reach out to local teams, charities, events and community spaces with a pitch.

Host a Contest

Social media dominates many of our lives. We’re continually checking feeds, updating photos and videos, and checking in with our favorite brands and celebrities. Chances are, your audience is online a lot, and they are looking for creative and fun ways to spend their time.

So, give them something to do, that also gets you extra shares and attention. Host a photo or video contest, asking your followers to share photos or videos around a theme or their favorite images of your products. Offer the winner a small freebie to increase entries, and don’t forget to engage.

Attend Trade Shows

Trade Shows are both a great way to increase your audience and sell yourself, and to meet other businesses and suppliers who could be useful to you. Be creative with your stall, advertising your best products or services, and using props and banners to grab attention. Give away cool goodies, such as those socks, or stationary, and wrap them in a tote bag for some easy advertising, and make sure you are ready to answer any questions that anyone might have for you.

Be Controversial

Content marketing with a blog, either separately, or one your website, is a great way to gain traffic from search engines and reach a significant audience. But, it’s often the more controversial posts and opinions that get noticed. Obviously, this is a risk, and you may alienate some people, but your true fans are likely to share your ideas, and it will certainly get people talking about, and so googling your business.

Most businesses and entrepreneurs will need to experiment to find the marketing methods that work for them. Your audience might not respond to everything on this list, and some things will undoubtedly be more effective than others. Don’t be scared to try new things and remember to give campaigns and ideas a chance before giving up on them and moving on to the next.