Why Bandwidth is Important for an E-commerce Store

Bandwidth, simply put, is the amount of traffic that passes through your website. All companies that have their own website anticipate a certain amount of traffic per month, and allocate resources accordingly. However, bandwidth is more important to some companies than others. For example, a company that facilitates buying or selling online, like eBay, has to be concerned about bandwidth more than, say, a website that hosts a family blog. If you can’t properly calculate the bandwidth you need, your company could end up with bad deals and misinformation from hosting companies. To avoid this scenario, learn why bandwidth is important for your online store:

A Slow Loading Time Will Cost You Customers

Unless you are Google, don’t expect people to wait for your website to load. These loading seconds matter a lot. According to a survey conducted by two content aggregator companies, web users expect a site to load within 2 seconds or less. More than a half of web shoppers say they won’t return to a site that is slow. An online business could lose a quarter of its customer base if the website takes over 4 seconds to load. If you reach the peak of your bandwidth limit, your website could become slow, which will most certainly cost you in profits. That’s why it’s extremely important that e-commerce sites take bandwidth issues seriously.

Traffic Can Spike Unexpectedly

If you are a budding e-commerce site, you probably dream about the day your traffic stats spike to alpine levels. Some dreams do come true. If your company is mentioned in the news, or if a deal you are offering goes viral, more and more people will begin to visit your site. More page visits require more bandwidth. If the traffic exceeds your current bandwidth package, your site will go down faster than the Hindenburg. A crashed site will bring your business to a standstill, and you’ll have to start attracting customers from scratch. Therefore, you should carefully choose a bandwidth package and web hosting company. Some hosts, like hostgator.com and bestwebhosting.co.uk, offer robust plans and automatic upgrades if your traffic spikes, which is ideal for start-ups.

It’s Necessary for Digital Sales

Does your e-commerce site offer digital downloads? If so, you’ll require a lot of bandwidth. Having a site run smoothly is vital for your customers to have access to any digital content that they might purchase and copy to their personal computers from your server. So if you sell downloads, make sure your bandwidth capacity is at least double that of a regular online seller.

Revamped Websites Can’t Do Without It

If you are a proper business, you will end up redesigning your website time and time again. If you add new graphics or videos to your site, you’ll need a good bandwidth package to ensure that visitors can interact with the new content without a hassle. If you have a devout follower base, introducing a new design can be a tricky business. Don’t let things get worse by making the new website load slower.

Basically, think of bandwidth to your online store as the buying lines in a physical store. You want these lines to move through the counters and shelves quickly if you want customers to come back to your store. Therefore, don’t be frugal when it comes to purchasing a good bandwidth package for your site.

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Tips on Finding Real and Legitimate Work-From-Home Jobs

When it comes to work-at-home jobs, the adage “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” is especially accurate. If all of those ads that promise amazing opportunities were true, everyone on the planet would work from home. Classic examples of this are envelope-stuffing jobs that instruct you to send out ads like the one you answered. The problem with this is there isn’t an actual product being offered. Other common scams include assembling crafts and promises of big bucks for medical transcription services. To avoid scams and find legitimate work-from-home jobs, consider the following tips:

Understand the Pros and Cons

Fortunately, not all work-at-home offers are scams. With some diligence and research, it is possible to find honest work that comes with actual pay. One way to do this is to become an independent contractor. Before you jump into the freelance pool, it’s important to be aware of the pros and cons of this type of work. In most cases, becoming a freelancer means getting paid to do work that you love, such as taking photographs at weddings or writing for a blog. Schedules tend to be pretty flexible, and you can pick and choose which jobs you want.

As for the cons, freelance work is not usually a guaranteed gig, and your number of assignments will ebb and flow. This may mean you have some pretty lean months, especially as you are getting started. Tax time can also be difficult for freelancers; most do not have taxes taken out of their wages and are issued 1099s instead of W2s, so it’s vital to find an experienced accountant who understands deductions that work-at-homers can take.

Use the Power of Online Platforms and Tech Tools

A great way to find actual contract work is through online platforms. The first thing you need to do is decide what type of freelance positions you are qualified for. Then, learn how you can transform your experience for cash. Using the photographer example from above, the Foap app enables you to turn your photos into actual money. Once you capture an amazing moment on your smartphone’s camera, you use the app to upload the pictures from Instagram, Flickr and others. You can also use the Foap app to create a web portfolio that buyers can access. To make this type of work possible, you need amobile device with a great camera, like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. The camera features a 16-megapixel camera and auto-time HDR, and the phone’s dual edges glow silently to alert you when the phone is face down, so you can stay connected with your clients at all times.

Have Several Sources of Income at Once

Freelancers are a lot like fishermen; to get the most fish (or jobs), you have to have multiple lines in the sea at one time. This is especially true when you are starting out. Sign up with numerous online platforms, and use your vast array of talents to earn extra cash when other jobs are not panning out. For example, moms are known for being chaffeurs, so register with Uber and get paid for your outstanding driving skills, taking people to the airport and other important appointments while your kids are in school. Other popular online platforms that allow you to find legitimate work include TaskRabbit.com, Handy and Elance.

 

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Five Great Ways to Market Your Stay at Home Business

Do you work from home, operating your very own business and being your own boss? Are you looking for ways to branch out and reach a broader, wider audience so you can continue doing what you love, and more of it? Then continue reading for a few great ways that you can market your stay at home business effectively. You may be surprised by how easy it is to get out there and get to know more customers.

Attend Trade Shows, Exhibitions, and Other Events

One of the best ways to meet new customers and reach a wider audience is by meeting them in person at a trade show or exhibition, as well as other promotional events in your area. Make sure that you really research a particular event before you use the time and funding necessary to attend, as you want to be certain that the event caters to your niche and target audience. Then, to get the very best trade show booth possible, hire a company like finesse-exhibitions.co.uk, as they’ll have the creative team you need to save money and time on building a booth that will attract and retain the attention of visitors walking by.

Use the Power of Social Media

There are so many effective social media channels that you can take advantage of today as a small business owner. From Twitter and Facebook, to LinkedIn and Instagram, among others, you have the opportunity to network with people from all over the world. Set up professional pages on all of these networks and, if necessary, hire someone who can take care of the day-to-day postings and interactions. Be sure to post about your products and services, answer questions, and host contests and promotions to get people involved and interested in what you do.

Partner with Another Small Business That Needs Help Promoting Itself

If you want to really expand your reach, you can access the customers of a fellow small business by partnering with them to market one another mutually. For example, if you create soaps and other bath and body care products, you can network with local businesses that sell these products, as well as with local spas and health centres. They can help promote your products or sell them at their facilities, and you can also promote them and mention that they’re supporting you. In this way, it’s a win-win for everyone involved and you all get to reach each other’s current customer base to expand your own. 

Encourage Email Signups

Finally, offer freebies online through your website and social media channels to those who sign up for your email list. From there, you can increase your subscriber list and directly promote your products and/or services to them on a regular basis to generate new and recurring sales.

There are plenty of creative and surprisingly easy ways to market your stay at home business effectively. The key is to develop your product or service until it’s the very best that it can be. Then work hard and with consistency to promote it to the masses.

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Get More Out of Your Social Media by Posting Less

Yes, you read that right. You can spend less time on social media and make a bigger impact on your specific audience. With all the different social media sites out there, it’s easy to get caught up in a dozen different sites from Tumblr to Pinterest. How many social media sites do you really need to maintain for your blog? And which ones? There is no cookie cutter answer.

But the good news is that experts recommend fewer social media sites with a higher quality of content for businesses large and small. And the even better news is that you can find the right social media mix for your specific audience for free with a little research and insights from the experts.

Choose Wisely

With approximately 1.5 billion active monthly users on Facebook and only two million on Reddit, it seems like a pretty easy decision of which one to spend the most time on right? Wrong. When selecting which social media sites are right for your blog, it’s not just a numbers game. Would you rather reach a million random people for a moment, or 100 interested people for an hour? That’s the power of choosing the right social media based on your audience.

And while Facebook is ubiquitous for establishing the professionality of your blog or business these days, it’s probably not the best way to reach your desired readers. In fact, with the recent changes to the way Facebook feeds work, many of your followers will never even see your posts.

That’s why sites like Reddit are so powerful: they allow you to specialize your content and share it with a niche market directly. A breastfeeding blog post shared to a Reddit thread about breastfeeding guarantees that your audience is already engaged and looking for the exact content you’re providing. And the best part is that it doesn’t cost a dime.

Content that Counts

The content that you share is the single biggest determining factor in how much attention a post gets, no matter what social media site you choose. Your content needs to engage your readers on a personal level if you want them to click through to your site, and even better yet, share your content with their friends and followers.

Although you’re probably writing about personal experiences, you want your title to grab the reader’s attention and make them think about how your experience pertains to their life. Instead of the title: “My Little Two-Year-Old Terror” a more engaging headline might read: “How to Survive the Terrible Twos.” With just the turn of a phrase, you’ve taken the focus off of you and your family, and turned it into lessons that readers can apply to their own families. Look to other businesses that have a successful social following for more ideas that you can apply to your own strategy. For instance, LifeLock’s Twitter account is a great example of a social media news feed that is specifically designed to address all the worries and stresses associated with identity theft, not just the products that LifeLock offers.

Timing is Everything

The third key to maximizing your social media efforts for free is timing. All social media has a shelf life. The second you share something it loses value and relevance and continues to do so until your audience engages with it by liking, clicking and sharing. Sometimes a great post goes stale because it’s posted when the majority of your target audience isn’t online.

Most online sales happen on Mondays. Most feel good posts perform best on Fridays. And most social media sites have all kinds of analytics that can help you plan your posts to perfection and hit your audience when they are online and ready to engage with your brand. And what if the optimal posting time falls right at Jimmy’s naptime? Check out tools like Hootsuite that allow you to write a post any time and schedule it to post at high traffic times.

 

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Tips for Women in the Welding Industry

Many people think of welding as being more of a ‘man’s job’, but it’s actually a pretty good career option for women as well. Although it’s estimated that currently only around 5% of welders in the US are female, there is also a massive shortage of around 200,000 skilled welders – and with the average wage for a welder being around $15.51 per hour with skilled welders earning even more, it’s easy to see why many girls have decided that it’s a decent career opportunity. If you’re thinking of getting into the welding industry, we’ve put together a list of great tips and advice to help you get far in a world currently dominated by men.

Knowledge is Power

When it comes to the welding industry, knowledge will get you a long way. If you’re thinking of taking up welding as a career it’s a good idea to take as many classes as you can in the different forms of welding, and learn about the how’s and why’s that are behind everything you will do as a welder.

Be Professional

Any women who’s ever pursued a career in an industry dominated by men will know that often, they just don’t get taken seriously. However, don’t let this put you off – after all, all industries were once dominated by men, and women worked hard to bring about equality. As a welder it’s important that you remain professional at all times as the way that you conduct yourself and even the way you dress is unfortunately going to affect the way in which people will treat you.

Be Tough

As a female working in the welding industry, you’re likely going to have to develop a tough skin. If you are not comfortable with the attitude of the manager or foreman of a welding company then you should not take the job, as although gender issues are still out there in this type of industry they are disappearing, and there will be other job opportunities. You may have to put up with some crude language or bad jokes, but never be afraid to pull people on this if you are offended, and be clear about what is and isn’t acceptable.

Take Pride in Your Work

Loving the job that you do, paying attention to detail and taking pride in your work will make you more valuable to your employer and any potential employers, and is advice not just for female welders but any welder looking to go a long way in the industry.

Stay Safe

Welding can be a dangerous profession, so it’s important that you know as much as possible about the tools that you are using and how to safely use them. It’s also crucial that you always use the correct protective gear and safety equipment, such as welding helmets – see Lincoln’s welding helmets to browse their great range.

Are you a female welder, or do you know a lady who works in the industry? If you’d like to pass on any further advice, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.

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Have you considered advanced biobanking?

Have you ever considered advanced biobanking? It is not something that I considered while I was pregnant; simply because I wasn’t aware of the procedures and the benefits. If I had known more about cord blood banking, chances are I would have strongly considered it.

Cord blood banking is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collect, process and preserve your baby’s stem cells for future medical use. Collecting your baby’s cord blood is a simple and safe procedure that happens immediately after the birth and usually takes the healthcare provider about five minutes to collect and package for shipment to our state-of-the-art cord blood bank facility located in New Jersey.

Cord blood is an important source of rich stem cells, and has been proven in treatments to help replace and rebuild diseased blood cells. Today, cord blood stem cells are used in the treatment of more than 80 diseases, including various types of blood disorders and cancers such as leukemia.

Intriguing isn’t it? This option is on the rise and there is no wonder why more and more parents are choosing to bank cord blood given the advantages. Cord blood banking, however, is just the beginning. With Advanced Biobanking you can bank placental blood, complete placentas, cord vessels or cord platelet rich plasma. This increases the number of life-saving cells that you store and therefore increases the number of conditions that you can treat.

Every day, parents are choosing to bank their child’s cord blood because they know these powerful cells could one day be used to save a close family member’s life. Parents choose to also bank placenta blood with LifebankUSA to make their cord blood collection even more powerful, providing them with even greater peace of mind. Only LifebankUSA’s proprietary technology allows you to bank your baby’s placenta blood. Banking placenta blood in addition to cord blood gives you the ability to preserve significantly more of your baby’s stem cells. Why is having more of your baby’s stem cells important? Because numerous studies presented in top medical journals have shown that transplanting more cells significantly improves success and survival rates.

Think about this. LifebankUSA has released cord blood stem cell units for sibling transplants, resulting in 100 percent survival rates in treating both hemoglobinopathies and malignant diseases. That’s astounding to me! LifebankUSA’s processing procedures are tested and validated, giving you confidence that your collection is well preserved and transplant-ready.

The first cord blood stem cell transplant was performed in Paris in 1988. The patient was a 5-year-old boy named Matthew, with Fanconi’s Syndrome—a rare, serious type of anemia. The transplant was a success, and Matthew is now a loving husband and father who is doing well today thanks to the wonderful work of the medical pioneers who performed his transplant using his sister’s umbilical cord blood. He has since become a vocal advocate for cord blood banking. Since that first transplant, cord blood stem cell transplants have been used to treat at least 80 different diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, in more than 30,000 patients worldwide.

You can enroll simply by calling 1.877.LIFEBANKUSA or visit their website at www.lifebankusa.com for additional information.

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Experiential Gift Ideas this Holiday Season

We are still a couple of weeks away from Halloween but the holidays will be upon us before we know it. Every year it’s the same story in my house, no matter how early I start planning and preparing I’m still left racing around on Christmas Eve picking up last minute odds and ends and that one unexpected gift.  I’ve shifted my own preparations into  high gear and started executing the plans for certain loved ones on my Christmas list with the hope that I can get the major gifts out of the way early. I’ve taken a new approach to gift giving over the past couple of years that has alleviated some of the pressure of what to get for those in my family who seem to have everything, which is pretty much all of them.

I love experiential gift giving, finding a cool new activity or local destination and creating a fun experience is far better than adding more stuff to the never ending pile of things accumulating in every room and closet in the house.

We are very lucky to live where we do in BC, Canada as we are really close to a number of cool destinations that fit the bill perfectly for a fun weekend getaway that makes the kids ( young and old) eyes light up.

The challenge with these experiential gifts is how to present them. We all know it’s the thought that counts and having something tangible shouldn’t be necessary but it is nice to have a little something waiting for you to open up on Christmas morning.

Here are our top three experiential gifts and how we presented them.

1. The Wine Tour

This is a favourite gift for my girlfriends or even for a nice couples getaway. Plan your getaway for a weekend in the Spring book your accommodations and create a map and itinerary for your tours. Once the logistics are taken care of it’s time to wrap up a cute little package that tells the story of your upcoming getaway.

  • Pick up a postcard of the destination you’re heading to and write down the details of the trip on the back.
  • Print out your itinerary and map on fancy paper. I’ve even had them laminated before and attached a pocket sharpie so you can write notes about your favorite wineries, etc.
  • I adore these wine journals and they make a great addition for the serious wine lover in the goup.
  • These travel wine glasses are always a huge hit and are handier than you’d think.
  • Lastly, include a bottle of wine either from a local winery or one from the destination ou’re heading to for them to enjoy before the trip.

2. The Snowboarding/ Ski/ Snow Shoeing/ Sledding (or any other snowy activity) Experience

We have loads of local mountains right in our backyard and we do our best to get to them all at least a few times each season. It’s the ones that are a bit further away (2-3 hour drive) that we can’t get to on a whim that we try to plan a bit of a more substantial visit. So just like the wine tour I’ve taken care of all of the logistics and then wrapped up essentials for the trip. Whether it’s a new set of snow shoes, a new sled or even new snowboarding or skiing gear. This can make this a really expensive experience but if it’s something that is loved it’s totally worth it. To keep this type of gift in a lower price range you can nix the snow going equipment in favour of a warm up basket stocked with a new scarf, gloves and toque plus all the fixings for hot chocolate by the fire at whatever chalet you end up at. (Maybe some cozy pj’s as well)

3. The Tropical Destination

We have in past years opted to forego the multiple gifts under the tree in favour of a family trip to a tropical destination to escape the bitter winter cold. One year a friend and I decided to take the kids to the Dominican Republic partly a Christmas gift partly their birthday gift as they are just days apart and born very close to Christmas it was the perfect getaway for the moms and the kids. They each got a cool new beach bag stocked with all of the beach going essentials.

  • Suncreen
  • Sunglasses
  • New Swim Suit
  • Flip Flops
  • Snorkel Gear
  • Inflatable Pool Toys
  • Lots of cool activity books and funky crayons to keep them occupied on the flight.
  • One of those waterporof disposable cameras (I was suprised they still made them) plus the photos that resulted were priceless keepsakes of our trip through the eyes of our pint-sized travelers.
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The Significance of Your Insignificant Invention

By Mindee Hardin

I live just a few hours from where the school shootings happened recently. It got me thinking about how small we can feel sometimes. When our home, community, country or world is hit by tragedy, it’s easy to pause and scratch our heads and think about how we spend our time every day.  Especially in my work, when illness strikes or injustice occurs, I often look around and think “OK and off I go to try and sell more bottles, wipes, PJ’s and poo cleaner uppers. Great. Lovely. Real worthwhile use of your life, Mindee.”  

Once upon a time I used to let this feeling of insignificance make me stop, drop and cry for a long while. I felt stuck in work that seemed less than important.  I even would refuse to work sometimes. I just felt sad that all I was doing was making booger wipes and mac n’ cheese all day when bad things were happening to good people and I wasn’t doing anything to stop it or help. I wallowed. I felt small and helpless. I felt like I should run away and join the peace corps (not just to escape laundry) but because that’s what we are all supposed to be doing for our fellow humans!  

I know a lot of my clients feel this way from time to time and we talk honestly about it. Yes we are making some everyday tasks easier maybe but we are not saving any lives.  Deep down we all know the world doesn’t really need more ways to organize, more ways to cook, more ways to clean, more ways to feed or wash a baby and get them to sleep, more ways to wipe boogers, get out stains or clip toenails. Most of us know we fall into the category of making something nice to have, that helps other Moms, but…honestly… no one would pitch a fit if our product went away tomorrow. The reality is, unless you are one of the small percentage of inventors creating a new water filtration system for third world countries or a new vaccine or a dietary supplements for malnourished moms or improved car seat safety belts….your product really, truly is likely very insignificant in the big scheme of world peace, world hunger and world crisis.  Truly. Insignificant.

YOU however are not.

YOU are the golden ticket to significance in your business!

YOU! Not your product.

The world needs the significance of YOU very much. The way YOU chose to do things in running your business is incredibly significant.  How you sell your product and talk about it, how you care for others while you are working with them. How you light up a room and encourage people when you speak to them, how you spend the profits you make on what you sell, what you say on social media about yourself and others and how you use your influence to influence. How you model leadership, capacity, courage, innovation, balance, dreaming big and working hard – THAT’S THE JUICY MIDDLE OF YOUR BUSINESS THAT IS INCREDIBLY SIGNIFICANT!  

Every problem we have every day has a people problem at the heart of it. It’s not a stuff problem, it’s a people problem and solving these problems by being an awesome person who builds cool things while making other people feel awesome absolutely makes a difference in the world. A big one. Your business puts you in situations and places with friends and strangers you would never find yourself in outside of doing your work. You get the chance to travel and go and do and learn. The significance of your business becomes more and more substantial through these experiences. The meaning in your business is not so much in what you are building but how you are building it and who you are building it with and for.  Did you give money from your profits to help a good cause, did you give a job to someone who had no qualifications except need and a big smile? Did you give away some of your products to people just because you could? Did you smile and make friends with the people in the booth next to you and did you ask that really intimidating retail buyer about her family and where that picture on her desk was taken?  Did you take the day off and spend it with your family or volunteer or bake a cake for a family nearby – just because you have your own business and you can?

These little moments that many of us think to be insignificant are actually the most significant things we do in our business. These moments of you being authentically YOU and giving to others because of what your business gives to you, are much more important than what you make or what you offer. These are the things that solve people problems. They spread love and kindness, positive stories and encouragement and warm fuzzies. That’s the goodness that  matters. That’s the goodness people take with them into their world, their home and their own insignificant work. All that together makes everyone of us no matter what we create, invent, sell or sew – very significant.  

The next time you are stressing over what color to make the font on your package and you hear about something sad or tragic and much more meaningful than that,  fight back with all you can do.  Focus on the YOU in your business and turn your emotions into positive energy and love that cover that sadness with joy. YOU – the entrepreneur, the innovator, the hugger, the mama, the game changer and the most significant person you will ever meet.

Be Well and Boogie On! #bettertogether

Mindee Hardin:: Inventor of Boogie Wipes®, Author, Speaker and Business Coach for Mom Inventors. Mindee is the owner of Juicebox Consulting where she helps Mom inventors through the joys and trials of bringing their ideas to life all while they juggle the heart tugs and demands of a family.  Mindee recently published her book, Boogie Wiped. She has been an entrepreneur for 12 years and is most widely known for her success as the inventor of Boogie Wipes saline wipes for kids stuffy noses. After finding a business partner, investors and hiring 12 employees, her idea hit $15 Million in sales in 2011 and the company was acquired shortly after by Nehemiah Manufacturing. Mindee has been featured on the Today Show, The Big Idea, Good Morning America, Fox News and in People Magazine, The NY Times, Entrepreneur.com, Inc and Forbes.  Recently, she was the keynote speaker for the Disney Moms Social Media Conference, Entrepreneur Uprising and Women Entrepreneurs of Oregon. In 2014, she earned the Spirit of Entrepreneurship award for her work at the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. Mindee’s book, Boogie Wiped, trailing the lessons she’s learned in business in motherhood, will be out Mothers Day, 2015.  Her husband, Scott, is in his 20th year at Intel and together they revel in the blended family blessings of coaching, scouting, feeding, growing and taxi cabbing their six kids through one adventure to the next.

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LifeOiL, Non-GMO Cooking Oils, Now Available!

Concerned about GMOs and the effects they might be having on your health? Try the new Non-GMO cooking oils from LifeOiL! You can find them in Sam’s Club and WalMart stores now!

Donald Bryant Jr. believes small innovations hold great potential. Bringing this potential to life is the driving mission behind his consumer products company, Alden Group Brands.

Since founding the company in 2007, Donald and his team develop brands that promote wellness. “Our company and products,” explains Donald, “are designed to challenge the usual and improve lives.”

Their big break? When celebrity B. Smith signed on to become the face of their first product, olive oil. “This was a turning point for us,” says Donald. “We succeeded in getting our product in stores throughout the country and succeeded in promoting healthful and smart cooking, which is very important to me.”

Capitalizing on the success of B. Smith’s Olive Oil, Alden Group recently launched LifeOiL Non-GMO Cooking Oils.

LifeOiL products are designed to challenge the usual and improve lives. As one of the first Non-GMO cooking oil brands in the country, LifeOiL offers Non-GMO Project Verified Oils including: canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil (vegetable oil), and an all-purpose blend of sunflower, safflower and olive oil.

“I am so excited about LifeOiL,” he says. “It’s an alternative to the genetically engineered (GMO) brands and oils on the market. Our mission is to provide healthy options that improves they way people cook and eat. The potential there is so great.”

In fact, LifeOiL is now sold at Wal-Mart stores nationwide and select Sam’s Club stores, with distribution continuing to grow every month.

Bringing LifeOiL to life—and then to stores—is an important milestone for Alden Group Brands in becoming a major consumer products company.

Double packs of two, one-liter bottles can be purchased for just $5.98. But, you need to hurry! Products are only available through the month of October! Head to your local WalMart or Sam’s Club today!

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Career Ideas – Becoming a Nurse Anesthetist

If you want to work in healthcare, there are a huge number of different career paths open to you. While nursing is usually seen as the lower paid, easier to get into end of the scale with medical professions, some advanced nursing practitioners earn six figure salaries and are in high demand, and a good example is the Certified Nurse Anesthetist. Certified Nurse Anesthetists provide an essential service in all kinds of medical environments, and have excellent career prospects. Here, we take a look at what kinds of work you can expect to do should you choose to work to become a CNA, and what you need to do to get there.

What Does a CNA Do?

As you might expect, a CNA administers anesthetics. They deal with all the different types of anesthetic, from local anesthetics used for certain types of surgery and dental work through to general anesthesia for all kinds of more intensive surgery. Because anesthesia is very important in modern medicine, but can be dangerous, CNA’s are highly trained, and are given a lot of respect and autonomy in their working environments. To the patient, the CNA who treats them is as important to their procedure as their surgeon.

As a CNA, you will be able to competently and safely prepare patients for all kinds of surgical and medical procedures, from life saving surgery to cosmetic enhancements, and can also be involved in helping people with pain management.

Where Can a CNA Work?

There are lots of places where CNA services are important, and this is the case all over the world, so you will never struggle to find work. You can work in a hospital or clinic, at a dental office, a podiatrist, hospices, and even in the military. You can also specialize in a field that interests you, whether it is cosmetic surgery, feminine health or pediatrics. There are so many possibilities, and if travel is your aim you will find your qualifications very much in demand all over the country and in other desirable parts of the world. Anywhere where there is medicine, there is a need for nurse anesthetists!

You also have a lot of earning potential as a CNA. The average salary is around $157,000 per annum, but experienced CNAs further on in their careers can earn over quarter of a million a year.

What Qualifications Are Involved?

As you might expect from such a responsible and important job, you need a lot of training to become a CNA. The full path can take 6-7 years to complete, which will include some ‘on the job’ training in a medical facility. You’ll need to first do a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and then a masters. Ultimately, you’ll need to gain the NCE qualification, which can be quite intense but well worth it, and there are nurse anesthetist courses available to help prepare you from education companies like Valley Anesthesia.

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