A Sleeping Partner who Benefits January 11, 2019 bizadmin Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram… Genesis 15:12 A SLEEPING PARTNER WHO BENEFITS In business, sleeping or silent partners don’t work but still take home huge profits. They are like the wife of the boxing champion. He gets badly beaten up to win the prize money. But when he gets home, his wife takes it from him and says, “Thank you very much, darling!” Do you know that in your covenant with God, you are like the boxer’s wife or the sleeping partner? When Abraham asked God how he would know for sure that he would inherit the land that God had promised him, God made a covenant with him (see Genesis 15:8–21). But instead of cutting the covenant with Abraham by walking in between the animal pieces with him, God put Abraham into a deep sleep and cut the covenant with Jesus instead. Jesus, the light of the world, appeared as the pillar of fire and cut the covenant with God the Father who appeared as the pillar of cloud. In other words, Jesus took Abraham’s place. He was perfect Man representing Abraham when He cut the covenant with His Father. By substituting Abraham with Jesus, God was being gracious because if Abraham had done it, he would also have been responsible for keeping the covenant. And Abraham, being a mere man, would fail. But God the Son can never fail! Abraham’s blessings were therefore guaranteed because they did not depend on his performance but Jesus’ performance. Abraham was literally a sleeping partner, a beneficiary of the covenant. Today, God has also made a covenant with you, called the new covenant. And like Abraham, you are a sleeping partner because the new covenant was also cut between God the Father and God the Son at Calvary. You are simply a beneficiary of the new covenant. You enjoy all its benefits without having to work at keeping it. Jesus, your representative, has already fulfilled all the conditions on your behalf. And because His obedience is perfect and His work is perfectly finished, the covenant blessings for you are guaranteed! My friend, there is nothing left for you to do, but everything for you to believe. Don’t try to work for your covenant blessings. Rest in the Son’s finished work and receive them by faith! – Joseph Prince
Dropshipping Niches That Are Steady, Not Trendy January 10, 2019 bizadmin Imagine having a dropshipping store already built, with ads in place and SEO thoroughly locked down, when search volume for “fidget spinners” did this: Anticipating that spike would have led to huge revenue – in the same way that winning the lottery leads to huge revenue. Instead of crossing our fingers in hopes of catching the next fidget spinner, let’s look at some more reliable and, alas, likelier scenarios for building a profitable dropshipping store. We dug into some data to identify the dropshipping niches that have had the most sustained success over the past few years. Not the dropshipping niches with the hottest trends. Instead, the ones that have been the most consistent. Whether you’re a budding dropshipper or an experienced store owner eyeing something new, you can use this data to explore ideas, products, and strategies that tap into the most enduring niches. Finding the Best Dropshipping Niches Here’s how we identified the dropshipping niches with the most sustained success. NOTE: We bribed our data team to do this – it’s not something that can be done inside of Oberlo. But we’re here to share the data, so let’s dive in! Step 1: We collected data about sales made with Oberlo since 2016, and divided those sales into categories. Oberlo has 22 “Categories,” and these are the most popular: Step 2: We then applied these time filters: January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016 January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017 January 1, 2018 – April 25, 2018 (Clearly the 2018 data is lighter than the other years… but we just couldn’t wait.) Step 3: Next we pinpointed the categories that have the most orders year after year. Here they are, with 1 being the best. Step 4: We identified the dropshipping niches that had the most orders within the most popular categories. These niches make up the umbrella categories. So “Action & Toy Figures” is one of 12 niches that make up the “Toys & Hobbies” category: This analysis will show us: The most popular niches In the most popular categories Over the longest periods of time In other words, these are the most consistent dropshipping niches over the span of two-plus years. They are also a good bet to thrive for the next two-plus years. The Highest-Performing Categories Here, again, are the top 10 categories: A few notes about these results. Women’s Clothing & Accessories ranked No. 1 in 2017 and 2018. It’s on fire. Beauty & Health was ranked No. 9 in 2016; No. 2 in 2017; and No. 3 in 2018. The Watches category comes in at No. 7 here, which might not appear all that spectacular but actually is. Watches isn’t nearly as broad as these other categories. Women’s clothing, for instance, contains items ranging from accessories to sweaters. Watches is just… watches. In that context, watches, which ranked in the top 10 each year, is a dropshipping product to keep in mind. At the very least, it can be incorporated into a store that features categories like women’s or men’s clothing. Now let’s put the best performing categories under a microscope and look at the specific dropshipping niches that are fueling their success. Dropshipping Niches in Women’s Clothing Let’s start with the reigning two-time champion – Women’s Clothing & Accessories. There are lots of dropshipping niches that fall under women’s clothing, including some don’t move the needle much – like, say, Bodysuits and Jumpsuits. There are, however, some annual winners. So, yeah, Intimates. This No. 1 ranking is no fluke. Intimates had the most orders of any dropshipping niche in any category in 2017, and it’s on track to do it again this year. If you aren’t sure exactly what the Intimates niche covers, it’s the sort of stuff: Accessories is a broad dropshipping niche that includes products ranging from headbands to scarf clips to gloves. Lots of small stuff, basically. The average order value on accessories won’t be as high as, say, dresses, but it’s a dropshipping niche that has a track record of high-volume orders. Bottoms is a broad niche whose ranking has increased each of the past two years. Dropshipping Niches in Jewelry Women’s Clothing & Accessories may be tops, but Jewelry has enjoyed plenty of success as well. This category has finished no lower than fourth during our three-year window, and it was No. 1 in 2016. Let’s take a look at the best dropshipping niches within Jewelry. Necklaces & Pendants is the niche that performed best each year. Products within this niche are especially cheap for merchants. Lots of the time you could charge $2 and enjoy a 100% markup. Coupled them with matching earrings and you can enjoy an even healthier profit margin. Bracelets & Bangles was second place each year, and actually came pretty close to passing Necklaces & Pendants in 2017. If you’re not familiar with bangles, they’re a type of bracelet often associated with India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and other South Asian countries. Rings are a mainstay in the top three of the Jewelry category. This is yet another dropshipping niche that is cheap for you and popular for shoppers. Dropshipping Niches in Home & Garden Home & Garden is where you’ll find items for your flowers, your living room, your bedroom, and more. There are plenty of products that will earn a chuckle, and also some practical items designed to make your customers’ lives easier. Here are the dropshipping niches inside Home & Garden that have had the most sustained success since 2016. Home Decor has been solid for years. This niche includes items that add some life to your home, from gag decals for your toilet to fun scratch-off maps. The Kitchen, Dining & Bar niche is a combination of fun and practical. Fun like this gag mug, and practical like this pineapple cutter: The Arts, Crafts & Sewing niche gives us a good excuse to discuss the different filters you can use inside Oberlo. Here, you’ll see that the “Sort by” filter is set to “Lowest price.” Meanwhile, here is the same niche, but with the filter set to “Order count” – that is, the products with the most orders appear first. The products we see are totally different. The first filter gives us a handful of products that all cost $1 or less. The second filter shows us tapestries and a “Rose Wish Bottle Handmade Eternal Never Withered Flower.” (We’d probably want to tweak that product name when we import it into our store.) Dropshipping Niches in Beauty & Health Appearing in the top three most popular categories each of the last two years, Beauty & Health niches can roughly be summed up as “stuff you’d find in your bathroom.” Hair products, makeup, facial massage rollers, and other things to keep people looking and feeling their best. This isn’t “Health Care” like medicine and surgical tools. Instead, popular items include ear wax removers, anti-snoring apparatuses, posture correction belts, and other miscellanea. Makeup is more straightforward. Lipstick, fake eyelashes, powder brushes. This dropshipping niche is of course somewhat restricted to women, but that hasn’t stopped it from placing in the top three Beauty & Health niches three years running. With some of these products, it’s extra important to be careful with product descriptions. Anything that deals with health and physical well-being requires attention to detail – no wild promises. This foot and muscle roller, for example, is popular, but if you sell it in your store, you might want to dial back the out-of-the-box description: “Improve blood circulation and boost lymphatic drainage, give your metabolism a kick-start… treat headaches and migraine, offer good relaxation and regulation for your body, etc.” Conclusions on Dropshipping Niches The data we looked at today doesn’t show us everything. For example, we didn’t look at high-performing niches inside of low-performing categories. We also didn’t look at niches that performed poorly in 2016 and 2017, and are now pointing up in 2018. There are more gems out there than discussed in this post. But as you think about what you can sell at your new store – or maybe what you can add to your current store – keep these niches in mind. They have been moving the dial for years.
Lawn Service January 8, 2019 bizadmin You’ve three primary options when it comes to ways through which you’ll get lawn care done. For more information on lawn service, visit our website today! First and foremost, you can choose to perform the lawn care yourself. This can be a very viable possibility where it’s a domestic lawn we’re searching at since many domestic lawns are usually of the relatively modest size. You’ll need three things when you’re going this lawn care route. You’ll need the lawn care equipment and materials. You will want the lawn care know-how (because, unlike what a lot of us imagine, effective lawn care requires a great deal of technical know-how). Finally, you’ll need the time to undertake the lawn care. A few of the equipment needed could be hired, although purchasing the rest. The majority of the materials needed (the kind of grass seeds, fertilizers, insecticides and so forth) are stuff you will have to buy because they are ‘consumables’ that cannot be hired. It is normally your free time that you’ll want to place. The understanding needed for that project can be purchased through vacation to the library, investing in a book or online research (as the web has a lot of relevant lawn care information). Within the second instance, you can choose to (directly) employ anyone to perform the care of the lawn for you. This can be a viable choice whether it’s a modest domestic lawn we’re searching at, or whether it’s an enormous business lawn we’re searching at. Within the situation of larger business lawns, you might find that an individual is not able to handle the lawn effectively, necessitating the use of countless people to complete the job, and effectively developing a ‘care of lawn department.’ You will find organizations that choose to task care of lawn towards the housekeeping departments, so the individual’s departments care for that lawns in their brief. However, within the domestic setting, the sizes from the lawns might be so small that it might be unsustainable to train on a full-time worker to become maintaining them. In such instances, it might seem sensible to employ a component-timer to keep the lawn or spend the money on domestic staff ‘something extra’ to keep the lawns. The tricky factor with either situations is the fact that although most people you discover might have the time to undertake the care of lawn, they are usually missing in technical skills, which makes it necessary to need to demonstrate to them how you can do things -so you finish up spending some time around the care of lawn, regardless of having to pay people for this. Want to know more about beachside lawn care? Visit our website for more information. Your third option, when it comes to having your care of lawn done, is always to contract the entire project to some care of lawn company. There are lots of such companies, that offer care of lawn services like a package – in which you just demonstrate to them in which you want the lawn established, outlay cash, provide them with a concept on which kind of a lawn you would like, and then leave it upon these to ‘make it happen.’ Although their professional services are more and more pricey, the most amazing factor about these lenders is they go ahead and take the whole burden off shoulders, plus they be capable of delivering results.
Payday Loan Relief January 8, 2019 bizadmin Whenever we discuss debt, we usually consider the entire of the items we owe it doesn’t matter how it had been accrued or who we owe it to. Consolidate payday loans incorporated. While some people may define finding yourself in debt by the house mortgage or student loans, for other people debt may be based upon our past financial mistakes. Regardless of how much we owe, how long it will require us to repay it, or the way we arrived… it’s all regulated considered debt. It is just whenever we take a look at each kind of debt individually that people can understand all the various kinds of debt available. This will make it that people can respect the truth that whether we owe $1 or $1 million, to family or payday loan provider, that we’re likely to pay back what we should borrow since it is all considered debt. To know more about payday loan relief, keep on reading and do not forget to visit our website for more information. *Mortgage Debt~ This kind of debt is determined with a first mortgage on the home, a house equity credit line, or another kind of loan that’s guaranteed by owing a bit of property or property. A lien is going to be put on the home before the loan is compensated off. This kind of debt may provide an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) that will increase with time on the fixed-rate which stays the same for that existence from the loan. Having a home equity credit line, which may also be considered a “second mortgage”, the loan provider is compensated back after the very first mortgage is compensated entirely. The typical repayment term on the mortgage or credit line is 15 or 3 decades, but you will find ten years ARM’s like well. * Auto Loan~ Incurring debt by having an auto loan means borrowing a set fee for that purchase after which having to pay it to go back over a set period with payments (usually 24-60 several weeks). The eye rate is going to be fixed for that existence from the loan unless of course, the customer decides to re-finance for any lower payment per month. *Payday Loan~ Payday loans are short-term temporary loans meant to help individuals by helping cover their emergency financial issues or unpredicted costs. They’re unsecured without any collateral necessary to become approved. Many lenders don’t request credit rating. Debtors are anticipated to repay their loan with there next salary, but frequently occasions payday loan lenders will extend an individual’s payment term. Rates of interest are greater than most loans and therefore are fixed. The kinds of loans would be best for those capable of paying back their loans rapidly. *Student Loan~ Most frequently granted by the US government, this kind of debt can be used for greater education. Rates of interest are often reduced than other kinds of debt and repayment periods are often ten years, giving the customer sufficient time to graduate, find gainful employment, and payback the things they lent. These loans can transport very high balances based on in which the customer visited the school, the number of years it required these to finish the amount, and just how many levels they searched for. *Credit Card(s)~ This kind of debt originates from the buying of excellent and services without getting to pay for in advance. Creditors approve card holders for any specified amount that they may use on the turning basis as long as they make their pay per month promptly as well as in a minimum of the minimum amount needed. Rates of interest derived from the borrower’s credit rating and could be a few of the greatest rates compensated in the types of debt. Want to know more about eliminating payday loans? Visit our website today! While borrowing on credit could be a good, and often necessary financial means, you should know how each kind of debt works and what’s perfect for your financial scenario.
How to Get your Sales Mojo Back January 8, 2019 bizadmin How To Get Your Sales MoJo Back This infographic from Harvard Business Review and SAP drives home the reality of today’s selling environment, where empowered buyers have just as much (if not more) information than sellers. Salespeople who win are the ones who add value to the sales process by helping their prospects filter out the noise and understand what they should focus on to do their job more effectively. In fact, 72% of decision makers say the sales rep’s ability to help solve business objectives is a major influence on their buying decision. What Makes An Effective Sales Process This infographic from KissMetrics has a wide range of interesting stats on everything from optimizing lead response time, to the benefits of smarketing. Some of the highlights: 13 percent of sales reps bring in 87 percent of the revenue 35-50 percent of sales go to the vendor that responds first The number 1 personality trait of top salespeople: Modesty
Dad’s Eulogy, the late Mr Albert Tan Cheng Ban, Age 81 years and 8 months – Prepared by Dr Karen Anne Tan Su Mei January 7, 2019 bizadmin ALBERT TAN CHENG BAN – 81 years and 8 months How do you summarise a life well-lived? To many more he was simply Uncle Albert and to some he was the ICE CREAM MAN – because he rang the bell every Saturday afternoon for catechism classes for more than 15 years. He was the smiling ever-friendly Church Photographer you see, for Baptisms, First Holy Communion, Confirmations and sometimes for weddings. For love of God and photography, daddy transitioned with the times, from manual NIKON camera to his Digital Nikon SLR camera in his 70s.He was also a COMMUNION MINISTER, and before that, a CHURCH USHER. But he also, had an unofficial role in Church – he was the church Greeter – making everyone feel welcome. So it’s natural, that many people know him. And, he was also the DAILY MASS COORDINATOR, ensuring that daily mass would run smoothly. For over 32 years he served the church and he was also the Treasurer for Catechism and ran the church bookshop – selling rosaries, cards and gifts – so it was NATURAL, that many people know him. But, they knew more than just the face because Dad made it a point to stop, chat and if you were not rushing off, he would joke with you. His warm smile was a reflection of his big, enormous heart – and if you needed a listening ear, he would provide one. DaDDY LOVED THE CHURCH – the people in church and his many friends in church. I believe because we lived so close by, he adopted the church as his second home, because his warm caring nature needed another outlet. You are his adopted family and I am so happy to meet so many of you gathered here to pay your respects to dad and to help celebrate a life truly well-lived. For some of you who knew him outside church, he was an exemplary teacher. And that is why I became a teacher as well. I remember, when I was around 10, someone ringing him up to ask if he was Mr Tan CHENG Ban; dad sounded puzzled and and said yes, I taught in Francis Light School in the 1950s. A few days later, a man turned up at our doorstep. He was now a professor in the University of Malaya, and wanted to personally thank daddy for his kindness more than 20 years ago. Just yesterday two of his former students contacted us, sharing what a good teacher daddy was. Uncle Robert Loo, very proudly shared that he still remembered the first song daddy taught him as the Cub Master: ‘Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag and smile, smile, smile’. After almost 60 years – 59 years to be exact – , they still remember what daddy did and how much he meant to them. There is no denying – daddy made a difference in people’s lives. For us – he was a dearly beloved father, a loving, devoted husband who loved mummy very much; and a fantastic role model. Being a teacher he valued education, and would encourage us to study hard and to always try our best. If we were disappointed with our marks, he would say, ‘Never mind, you can do better the next time’. So there was constant encouragement and support to all three of us. Daddy was just simply proud of his girls – his three daughters whom he used to call Tan’s angels. He taught us to always be honest, to lead a life with integrity and never do anything that would displease Jesus – and he lived out his life the way he taught us. But more than that, daddy taught us to be appreciative and to see beauty in small things and to enjoy the simple things in life. More than the jovial man that he is – being a devout Christian – Daddy was also a dedicated volunteer with mummy, with the Little Sisters of the Poor for their Tuesdays Lotto and, he was also their designated driver because he was not a speed demon; but would consistently drive 10 -20 km below the speed limit – which suited the elderly and I also heard, visiting bishops – yes, he was such a warm friendly man that he was asked several times to drive visiting bishops and Pro Nuncios in Penang. Usually, everyone in his car or van, would be treated to a guided tour of Penang if they were unfamiliar with our island paradise. Daddy has a gift of making friends effortlessly – Daddy was also a highly appreciative man; a grateful man who counted his blessings and so that is why he would want me to thank all you wonderful people on his behalf who made his life such a blessing. His friends from daily mass – he adored you all and loved staying back to say the rosary, keeping Jesus company with friends, he would say. He would also want me to thank the many people, who allowed him into your life; and for all the many kind acts you rendered daddy as he became frail. He had a soft spot for priests and nuns – especially the nuns from the Little Sisters of the Poor, he would want me to thank you for your prayers and for setting such a good example for him to follow He would not want me to forget all the lovely doctors and nurses at Penang General Hospital, Pantai Hospital especially his former student & his cardiologist Dr Liew Chee Tat and the dedicated staff at IJN – Institute JantungNegara Daddy loved his food: he would want me to thank all of you lovely wonderful friends over the years who shared your delicious home cooked food with him or passed along fruits -he loved his durians – to him – he loved really loved his home cooked food but your thoughtfulness meant even more to him He loved company, and you all brought joy to him. Someone just described him as a lovely, loving and lovable man and that’s who daddy was. We know him as a loving father who would do anything for us – and that is why, we three girls strongly urged him to exercise, to strengthen his legs and to get way stronger, but wise man that he is, he found another way. His own way – and it’s hard for us girls because he had gently encouraged us all our life to be determined, strong, tenacious and forthright. And we were forthright – we were determined that he was going to get better by hook or by crook. But God had another plan for his most gentle and devoted servant – and this time, God took him away just one day before his scheduled procedure. And I believe, Daddy was happy to go with Jesus, walking strongly and striding into the arms of his Father, chatting and walking side by side with Jesus and Mary. Daddy would like to be remembered for being a gentle, friendly man, who loved the company of friends – young and old, merry and solemn, lots of laughter and home-cooked food, but also someone who adored simple hawker food. I know he’s now in better company with Jesus and Mary and he’s probably bringing them around in Penang that he knew so well, introducing them to his favourite snacks especially his favourite Penang Road Chendol with extra ang tau, and encouraging Jesus and Mary to have more. So when you have your chendol, your ang tau seng, eat for daddy and know that he’s watching from above, smiling and praying for all of us – content to be with his Lord.
How to Figure Out If You’re a Workaholic January 6, 2019 bizadmin Are you a die-hard workaholic? There are a lot of signs and, in truth, most of those signals are very obvious to those around you. Yet, you may have no idea your entire life is centered around your work. Is it bad to be a workaholic? This is a hot topic for debate, with business personalities like Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Andy Frisella and many others coining a phrase first made popular by movie star and former California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. To paraphrase, all these men agree that any driven personality can thrive off 6 hours of sleep every night, leaving a full 18 hours to pursue your dreams. For the majority, whether the work itself is the ultimate manifestation of your dreams or merely a way to make those dreams happen, it needs to get done. The following infographic makes some interesting observations about how workaholics act and interact with the world. Whether you agree with the results or not may mean that you’re a workaholic in denial. You might also be really lazy and refuse to accept that you’re not doing the amount of work necessary to achieve your goals. The infographic is brought to you by Wrike free simple project management software When you start work and end work is a big factor The first two questions and their sub-questions are really interesting and make some tongue-in-cheek references to most people’s work habits. The animation of the red-eyed lady working at her computer could be interpreted in a number of ways including a woman who works way to hard, or as mentioned in question 1-C; someone who needs to drink or use some other kind of narcotic to actually get down to work. Time management skills warning signs of a workaholic The graphic/questionnaire takes some jabs at the difference in lunchtime habits between workaholics and regular folks. I don’t feel this to be a real factor, as what you eat is your choice and not indicative of work habits — Ie., eating at your desk might just mean you’re working toward a better work/life balance and want to get off earlier. Though, a trip to the local bar might not be the best lunchtime routine! Taking your work home with you is also mentioned (Ie., your boss texting you after hours). For an entrepreneur, business never sleeps. If you work for someone else, turning your phone off after hours isn’t a bad idea (just make this clear to management up-front). Workaholics don’t take vacations? The graphic makes some funny references about how workaholics view vacation time, and how they view those who take regular vacations. This is one of the most compelling sets of questions, as we have to take more time to ourselves than those mandated by local and Federal governments. If you or a coworker take more vacations than a company offers (Ie., sudden sick days when you’re not sick), neither of you can say you’re a workaholic, and your job/business is likely at risk! Work/life balance is key I encourage everyone to complete the questionnaire in the graphic and take an honest assessment of how you do and view your work. An entrepreneur obviously can’t avoid taking their work home with them, but we all need to take time to ourselves (and/or our families). We need hobbies and interests outside work, and need to take time to completely “turn off.” Not just our smartphones and other devices, but to turn off from work and turn on to life!
You Matter to God January 5, 2019 bizadmin …he calls his own sheep by name… John 10:3 YOU MATTER TO GOD! Do you sometimes feel like you are just a face in a crowd or a number in a system? You are identified by your social security number. Even when you see the doctor, you are called by your queue number. If you feel depersonalized and dehumanized, that is exactly how the devil wants you to feel — that you do not matter much to anyone, especially to God. But you do matter to God! He calls you by name. He knows exactly what you are going through and where you are hurting. He sees you and cares for you, just as He cared for the people when He first walked on earth. My friend, He will do for you what He did for the woman in Samaria. The Bible says that “He needed to go through Samaria” to get from Judea to Galilee (John 4:4). Now, any Jew of His day would have taken a different and longer route to avoid going through Samaria because they hated the Samaritans, though the way through Samaria would take much less time. But Jesus deliberately took the shorter, avoided route, just so He could stop by Samaria to speak to the woman who had been searching for something in her life to satisfy her. This woman had had five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband. Clearly, things had not been going right in her life. She was probably looking for answers and fulfillment and must have felt ashamed about her failed marriages and current lifestyle. Yet, in spite of all this, she mattered to Jesus! He needed to go to her to minister to her. And indeed, after she met Jesus, the perfect Man, she was transformed. She was no longer ashamed and went into the city to tell the people about Him (see John 4:28–29). Beloved, Jesus wants to meet you wherever you are at in life and minister His grace to you. You certainly matter to Him. He came to give you life and life more abundantly (see John 10:10). You are not just a face in a crowd or a number. No, He knows you by name and has a personal love for you. And in spite of the mess that you might be in, He wants to meet your every need and make your life beautiful! – Joseph Prince