Monthly Archives: March 2023

Bid Writing Like The Experts

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Bid Writing For Small Business Owners?

The aim of this article is a help the reader to discern whether Bid Writing is a role that small business owners are able to take on themselves or whether it is a process that is best outsourced to expert, professional Bid Writers.

After all, Bid Writing is a difficult and time consuming process that requires a thorough knowledge of the industry that is being written for, the business itself, a clear, concise and engaging writing style and excellent organisation skills. Before any kind of Bid Writing activity can begin, the small business owner come Bid Writer or the actual Bid Writer themself, must prepare all of the documents that need to be included as part of the Tender Document. There is absolutely no point in submitting a Tender all prerequisite documents and policies are not complete, up-to-date and in place.

The Best Approach To Bid Writing

So Bid Writing requires both an objective, conscientious approach to make sure that “all of the boxes are ticked” as well as a creative, engaging style of writing. Basically, the end product must meet all of the criteria and stand out from the rest of the Tender Documents that the reviewer is appraising. This is what will make the difference between a Tender Document and a winning Tender. There are no prizes for coming second! Your company either wins the Tender or it doesn’t!

How Small Business Owners Can Write Bids

So let’s get to the point of this article – how the small business owner can write Bids like a professional Bid Writer. Well, I take the stance that Bid Writers do their job day in day out and are the best people for the job. And this is true! Sure, a small business owner (assuming that the business isn’t a Bid Writing Services company) cannot be expected to write and put together a Bid Document as well as an expert who write Bids for a living. And if the could, I think that the small business owner’s other tasks would suffer as a result of this over-representation of their time being spent on Bid Writing activities.

Specialise! Don’t Be A Jack Of All Trades But Master Of None!

The whole point of being in business is to specialise and, therefore, spend most of your time doing what you are good at because you can do it better and more quickly than anyone else. Then you can pay others to do what they are good at and so on. However, I do believe that, despite this realisation, most people can learn to complete tasks to the best of their ability, to a reasonable and often sufficient level of quality (given the correct training/learning). So bearing this in mind, I think that if competition for a Tender is relatively average then a small business owner might be able to write a suitably substantial Tender Document with a reasonably good chance of winning. Many would argue that as the number of and quality of the competition for a given Tendering opportunity increases so does the likelihood of a “reasonably average” Tender failing to meet the mark.

It stands to reason that the best Tendering opportunities have more competition. Also, let’s assume that if an opportunity to Tender is less competitive then this is likely to be either because the opportunity requires a very specialised skillset which is under-represented in the marketplace or because the contract is relatively low value. Also, if the small business owner writes his or her own Tender Document for a high competition opportunity then they are more likely to be up against the offerings of professional Bid Writers. Afterall, when do small business owners finally decide to hire a professional Bid Writer? The answer to this is quite clear – when that opportunity comes up for them which is truly unmissable, highly lucrative and potentially company transforming! So don’t try to be a Jack Of All Trades and outsource your Bid Writing. If you find that your company requires lots of Tenders to be produced then hire a Bid Writing Training Consulting to provide professional, expert training inhouse.

Avail Latest Eurostar Deals for Your London to Paris or Brussels Train Travel

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Traveling through flights is enjoyable, but traveling in Eurostar to favorite places such as London, Paris, and Brussels will be amazing journey. Watching the nature’s beauty through this train will be a different experience. Moments can be memorable for those who are traveling for the first time through this train. Presently, this train is known for its highest speed and facilities offered by the railways. Visitors will get the welcoming entry from rail staff. There are many other features, but the booking of the train is needed to be done in advance. Booking will be started by four months prior the schedule of the train, but because of limited train’s users must get the tickets booked in advance.

Eurostar deals offered by different websites can be a good advantage for travelers. To avail packages users have to become the member of online portal of registered websites through which they can get the offers on the ticket and save lots of money. There are sites offering saving up to 80 percent so users can easily enjoy the trip in the fabulous train in a lesser amount.

Eurostar train London to Paris is available every day but the seats are limited to 766 per train. Travelers have to book the ticket prior to journey date because most of the time tickets are not available at last moments. Once the ticket is booked users must visit 45 minutes earlier to station and should collect the tickets. Another thing to check about is if you are the resident of EU than you won’t be having any problem, but in case of a non-EU citizen you have to complete the formality of a landing card to get the immigration. Then only you can travel in the train from London to Paris or Brussels.

No matter if you are traveling from London to Paris or Brussels or vice-versa. You can enjoy the trip with this train and make the journey memorable. However, this train is having all features like a flight so travelling through this train can be exciting. People can really enjoy the nature beauty throughout the journey as there are lots of sceneries coming throughout the trip.

There are 10 trains running between the above mentioned stations and each train contains 766 seats. Users can book their ticket anytime through online portal provided by the railways or they can visit the travel agency to get the ticket of London, Brussels and Paris.

What Is A Private School Test and What Do You Need To Do to Apply

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The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) and the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) are the two most prolific standardized admissions exams used in U.S private schools today. Though your child may have done well in elementary school, passing these standardized tests are par for the course for entry to private schools. You may argue that your child’s teachers in elementary all love him or her, and that she gets good grades, but like anything in life, this a totally new facet of your child’s development. These kinds of tests are essential, as admissions staff do not have the luxury of prior knowledge and awareness of what your child may have picked up or not in his or her primary schooling. Standardized test results set an objective benchmark of your child’s abilities against all other applicants. For this reason are they necessary.

The Secondary School Aptitude Test (SSAT) and Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) are just two in an assortment of assessment tools which admissions use in evaluating your child. What makes a private school test useful is that it shows how you child compares to other applicants, which may come from anywhere across the nation. Though they do give an adequate projection of your child’s academic capability, they don’t, however, address other factors like goals, personality and other interests and so forth.

The SSAT is administered at two levels: the Lower Level encompasses students in 5th-7th grades while the Upper Level embraces the 8th-11th grades. The ISEE on the other hand is given at the Middle Level or the 6th-8th grades and the Upper Level or the 9th-12th grades. It also includes a Lower Level for the 4th and 5th grades. You need to apply personally, as the school you apply to will not do this for you. Be mindful of the registration deadline as well. The test is divided into multiple sections. The Verbal primarily covers reading comprehension and vocabulary. Mathematics on the other hand deals with basic topics such as algebra, geometry and basic arithmetic. An essay portion is also included in the SSAT. Wrong answers are penalized by subtracting a quarter point for each wrong answer from the total correct answers.A distracting feature of the SSAT is that your child will be penalized for wrong answers. A quarter of a point will be deducted for an incorrect answer. Questions with no answer will not be credited either way.

Test preparation is essential for any private school test. It is imperative that any child looking to apply must practice taking the SSAT or the ISEE, depending on the requirements of their prospective school. This article suggests applying in a test prep program to further your child’s chances in getting accepted. It goes without saying that the field is quite competitive, you must give your child every edge available to ensure success, short of cheating of course. Test preparation programs are one such edge. Feel free to search on such services, and determine for yourself if they are indeed necessary. But then again, for our kids, we have to do everything that it takes.

Learn to Play Golf – The Easiest and Most Practical Way

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Golf is believed to be one of the most popular and sophisticated sport that can be learned in regular practice. Endurance and patience are the characters that you need to possess in order to master this game; this is an outdoor sport that gives you an opportunity to have more friends and be exposed to a new environment. Learn to play golf by following a set of instructions and rules. In a matter of time, with proper practice, you can absolutely try to join golf tournaments and competitions.

Some of the basic steps to learn to play golf include the following:

First step – Find a professional in your vicinity and absorb the ideas that he may provide you. Fundamentals of playing golf are learning how to grasp the club, how to swing it and learning the right position when you are over the golf ball.

Second step – When you start to feel comfortable and confident about the techniques in grasping the club, you may then continue to study how to pitch and putt. Focusing on the golf ball is also an important aspect especially when you are about to exert force and energy for a full swing.

Third step – Properly aim your swing at the right direction or else, it will be hard for you to constantly strike the ball. Learn to play golf by focusing and giving enough attention to every step. There are different types of swings that you need to learn as well. These are the takeaway, downswing and backswing. Practice these techniques and then you’d be ready for the next step.

Fourth step – A subsequent step is learning how to have good posture in golf. Even the experts are having a hard time in perfecting the right body position. An intense practice is required to properly attain good posture.

Learn to play golf is an art. Every sport requires time and effort before perfecting and mastering it. You just need to have dedication and self-discipline in practicing the game. After a period of time with focused and top of the line training, results will be obvious.

As a beginner, you don’t need to buy expensive golf balls since you are very prone to throw stray shots. For golf club concerns, almost all driving ranges have clubs for hire. You can take the advantage of this while you are still in the process of learning. Once you get the hang of it, that’s the best time to get your own set.

Adobe Flash CS4 Recertification Exam – 9A0-093 Details and Guidelines

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Exam 9A0-093 can be said as one of the certification examinations from Adobe and the name of the examination is Adobe flash CS4 recertification exam. This examination is designed for the candidates for gaining adequate knowledge in usage of tool called Adobe flash CS4. It mainly focuses on adobe flash CS4 software function and its features with regarding creation of attractive animations, movie clips, graphics work and other art works etc. Candidates can hold ACE (Adobe certified expert) certification after successfully completing this examination.

How this certification works best to the candidates?

This certification will suit best to the candidates who wish to use the tool ActionScript 3.0 software for creating animations, movie clips and applications that are related to the Adobe flash CS4 tool. After successful completion of this examination, candidates can enter in to the corporate sector working environments with various job opportunities. Some of the job roles include: system integration, system developer, graphic designer and web designer etc. Regarding the salary, there will be constant growth if candidates show their skills as well as performance.

Exam 9A0-093 objectives and other details:

Registration process for this exam can be done through Pearson VUE centers or in online through the Pearson VUE website. Registration gets confirmed once the exam fee is paid and after the payment has done, scheduling for the exam can be done. Examination comprises of 50 to 55 questions with 90 minutes time duration. Minimum score to pass in this exam is 70%. The following are the exam objectives and they are:

1) Debugger usage
2) Dot syntax notation usage
3) Creating and usage of custom classes
4) Apply filter in the created movie clips and in the web pages/ texts
5) Usage of texts, sounds, button, animation etc effectively.

4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Investing in Real Estate Education

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Getting involved in real estate investing requires extensive education. As an investor, you will be entering into contracts for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, and if you do not know what to do or make mistakes, your first investment deal may be your last. The fact is, you will pay to learn real estate investing. Either by mistakes, missed opportunities, or education you will learn. The smartest way to have a successful career is to educate yourself. With so many choices out there, how do you decide which book, product, or program will work best for you? It really depends on how you learn. Before committing to any type of educational program, ask yourself the 4 questions in this article.

Question 1 – how serious are you about this career? Too many investors make mistakes during transactions or miss opportunities because they don’t recognize a potential transaction. Any business endeavor is going to require an investment in education in order to have success and real estate is no different. You’re either going to pay learning by mistakes, learning by missed opportunities, learning by splitting several deals until you have the knowledge and confidence to do deals on your own, or investing upfront in education. If you’re not willing to invest time, sweat, and money into learning the industry in which you supposedly want to participate, then you do not deserve success.

Question 2 – how should I invest in learning the business? There are really 3 ways: books, seminars /education companies, and mentors. Generally, a combination of all 3 works best. Even Donald Trump still reads books on real estate.

Question 3- how do I learn? This is the biggest question you should ask yourself. Are you better reading and retaining information, learning in a classroom environment, learning on line, watching video, listening to audio, or learning by doing? Once you understand your learning style then find information in the format in which you learn best. For example, I’m a classroom junkie. I have an undergrad degree, MBA, and certifications in other industries as well. For me to understand and learn real estate, I would need to learn in a classroom as it’s how I’ve learned and had success in the past. Others have different styles and ways of learning. Identify what works best for you and take action.

Question 4- This last question is most important. Who is responsible for my success? Ultimately, you are. In my humble beginnings, I was part of a real estate education company that has dozens of local success stories and hundreds of failures. What’s the difference between the winners and the losers of this game? Everyone had the same education, so it wasn’t the company’s fault. It is up to the individual. If you have knowledge, do you take action? How do you take action? Education alone may not be enough; you may also require the services of a mentor to guide and provide confidence for you.

They key to real estate success is 100% up to the individual investor. Understand how you learn, invest in the right manner, and put yourself in position for success.

The PMP Course – Preparing For the Course Starts With Your First Project

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When the boss asks you to manage a project, no matter how insignificant it is, take it. That small project will lead to more projects that will earn you the number of hours to qualify for a PMP Course; you never know when you can cash on it but it is best to be prepared.

Why Start Now

When people decide to take a PMP Course they are disappointed to learn that there is a number of project management hours to chalk up before they can take the course. Some will have to wait for a few years to get the required number of hours and the delay may cool or fan their desire to get a PMP certification.

You may not have decided yet about the course but if you become a project manager, because of an emergency problem, do not view the task as an extra task heaped on you; take it as an opportunity and do not dismiss your accomplishments. It could be the start of anything, a PMP Course and eventually a PMP certification.

How to Manage Your First Project

A project mostly involves managing people to work towards a goal. It could be as simple as leading a dishwashing crew, selling a new product, or difficult as synchronizing work in one unit of the company. To bolster your raw management skills, read management books and learn how to apply it on the job. These questions will help shape your project plans along the lines of project goals, project resources, and project monitoring.

* How well do you understand company objectives?
* What is the project’s short-term or long-term goal?
* Is the project timetable sufficient?
* Are varied resources available?
* Are skills appropriate and relevant?
* What are the additional resources that might be required?
* Is this the first project for most of the team members?
* What information should be shared and how should this be shared?
* Can risks be overcome?
* Are resources sufficient to cover the risks?

Do what the seasoned managers are doing and include the following activities; these strategies prepare you for a future PMP Course.

* Prepare a back-up plan
* Get feedback from the team members
* Categorize tasks according to their major and minor significance
* Document progress development
* Document problems that occurred during the course of the project
* Document the best practices that prevented and solved problems

Record everything from the planning, execution, and the completion of the project and keep an eye on team members to evaluate the appropriateness of their skills, their response to crises, or the level of their competencies.

You have to work with other units too – procurement, customer service, accounting, and top level management. By now, you know that a project manager must have great oral and written communication skills, good interpersonal skills, and must have effective leadership skills to keep team members well-motivated.

From your notes and your first-hand experience, you learn the practical applications of different management theories, which make up the different learning areas in a PMP Course. By now, start reading the PMI Credentials Handbook and do more research on PMP certification.

All of these tips prepare you to the demands of a PMP Course. So take up that project with confidence; you can do it.

College Scholarships Are a Boon for Students

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Higher education is definitely an effective way of staying ahead of the game. However, higher studies could entail much expense, which not all students can afford. They have to settle for scholarships from various fund-raisers who are willing to part with money for the purpose of educating students who are in need of monetary support. But, it is the job of students to tap these resources that are available to them.

The internet is bubbling with college scholarship revelations making it extremely difficult to short list the reliable sources that could be approached for the best college scholarships to meet your needs. One has to really know how to track these down efficiently.

In this process, one should check the government scholarship sources online. The many websites that offer scholarships, as well as useful ideas on choosing the right course, include Students.gov, Ed.gov, Fafsa.ed.gov and many such sites.

By visiting these sites you will get to know how to make out an application for a federal student aid or even a federal loan and college scholarships as well. The students.gov site offers the best information on planning your career and provides the best advice on state level funding details. With the help of the Federal Application for Student Aid Fafsa.ed.gov site students learn how to fill up applications and also how to follow-up the status of the application. Getting college scholarships from government sources is legal and does not involve much red tape.

Besides this, the internet encourages students to find scholarships by clicking on the ‘scholarship search’ key. However, this requires a lot of research and authenticity checks before disclosing personal details. Most scholarship databases would require you to pay for registering etc. Such links should be avoided and one should look for free and reliable sources that offer the best college scholarships for students.

Could You Benefit From Business Leadership Coaching?

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Running a company isn’t always easy. That’s especially true when it comes to leading others. As you’ll likely discover, since people have different personalities, you’ll have to be flexible and adapt your methods accordingly. If you’re struggling to be an effective leader, or simply want a few suggestions, business leadership coaching could help.

A New Perspective

Perhaps you’ve been leading your employees for decades, but are puzzled about why your techniques don’t seem as powerful as they once were. This is a common problem, but fortunately, one that you can overcome.

By working with someone who specialises in business leadership coaching, you’ll be encouraged to explore the ways that others might view your techniques. Sometimes, there’s a lot to learn from looking at things differently.

Because a coach will have an outside perspective, they’ll also be able to clue you in on strategies that could work well even for employees who’d rather direct themselves.

Your coach can also show you the value of being flexible. Leaders must evolve to best handle the needs of those who look to them for guidance. Humans are creatures of habit, so you might be initially resistant to change.

Fortunately, through business leadership coaching, you’ll be taught that it’s not always necessary to do things in a completely different way, but you’ll make great strides simply by being willing to adapt.

Examining Situations

Strong leaders are able to evaluate scenarios as they play out, and look back on them later. In any business role, it’s crucial to learn from your mistakes, but also be aware of the positive factors of how you handled things.

On any given day, you might have numerous opportunities to assume the role of a leader. Although you may not have the time to immediately engage in self-reflection after each instance, a business leadership coaching specialist can give you suggestions about how to take a bold look at how you’re doing, and know when it’s necessary to alter your approach.

Clearly, the question is not truly whether you should or shouldn’t meet with a coach, but how long you’ll wait to make an appointment. Even if you don’t often interact with employees face to face, you can also fulfil your role as a leader by using an encouraging tone in telephone conversations and e-mail messages.

A coach will inspire you to view your duties as a leader in ways you might not have considered before. Find some availability in your schedule and see how a professional coach can help you encourage employees and boost their productivity.

Your Craft, Your Career, And How To Make It All Fun Again

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I’m assuming you didn’t get into acting to be famous (because let’s face it; if you want to be famous, there are plenty of easier ways to do that, from eating bugs and shooting your nuts off to making a sex tape or denying marriage licenses to gay folks). You got into acting because you love the craft and you hope to make a living doing it.

What you didn’t know was that craft and career are two different things. In one hand you hold your craft, the creative spark that fulfills you. In the other hand is your career, the thing you aspire to achieve. You hope that your career and your craft will intersect… that they will thread fingers together like a romantic couple. And maybe they will. But most of the time they shift in and out, coming together and releasing like an on-again, off-again Hollywood relationship.

Both craft and career deserve equal attention. But too often your career eclipses your love of the craft. As you puuuussssshhhhhh to check all those business goals off your list, your craft sits neglected in a corner, sad and droopy, like a kid with a deflated balloon.

When you focus solely on your career, acting is no longer fun. Instead of enjoying every chance you get to play a character and be in the moment, your experience is clouded by what it might do for your career. For instance:

Auditions are only about booking the job or the room. Workshops are only about making a connection so that you get an audition. Plays, videos, short films are just opportunities to entice industry folks who will get you auditions, so you can book a “real” job. When you finally get on set, it’s exciting, but you focus on just getting your lines down and blasting out on social media in the hopes that it will lead to another audition or booking.

What used to be a free, creative playground has turned into a career ladder. So now all you’re doing is trying to climb… or at least hold on, white knuckled, until the elusive “success” is achieved.

But without the exhilaration of acting what is the point?

It’s time to reclaim the playground of your craft.

Don’t wait for someone to hire you to be creative. Build your own playground. Look at all the ways you could be playing:

  • classes
  • living room script readings with fellow artists
  • writing scripts
  • community events/actor co-ops
  • going to movies/plays/film festivals
  • reading scripts of favorite movies/tv shows
  • 30 auditions in 30 days (pull scripts off the web and tape yourself with a friend)
  • free writing
  • do The Artist’s Way by yourself or in a group
  • artist dates (see Artist’s Way)
  • imagination exercises
  • vines
  • create & produce web series or short films
  • join a theater company
  • start a book, movie, or script club
  • auditions – yes, especially these. Don’t let career body check creativity to the sidelines as you focus on getting the job (and end up in your head).

Your job is to have fun acting no matter what room you’re acting in.

At the end of the day, if you stay creatively active, you will have fed your creative soul. All those business goals – goals you should aspire to but not hang your hat on – will have either come or not come or come and gone. But regardless what shape your career takes, you will have always enjoyed doing the thing you love.

So when the industry chases it’s tail or gives you a backhanded slap – when you don’t book the role because you’re too tall, short, blond, brown, muscular, flabby, young, old, wise, vulnerable or because you look just like the director’s ex-wife – you will still have the fulfilling experience of collaborating with other artists. You will excite each other and create your own projects. Not booking the job won’t matter because you will have enjoyed your time on the playground.

Okay, yes, it will matter. You’ll be bummed, you really wanted the part, you knew you were perfect for it. You’ll complain to your hubby or your best friend. it might sting a bit. BUT if you really enjoyed your play time, your creative time, your collaboration time, your craft, your in-the-momentness – and if you know you have more creative time coming up – it will sting much, much less. And you’ll get over it much, much quicker.

It’s play time!