There is a wise saying that goes “The grass is always greener on the other side”. How true is this saying? We often fight feelings of jealously when we see at our neighbor’s garden looking prettier than ours. In order to keep up appearances, you have bought and used garden fertilizers, manures, watered your garden daily but your garden still looks the same. If this is your story, do not get discouraged because ‘where there is a will there is always a way’.In this article, I will share with you nine cost-effective tips that will make your garden the envy of town. You garden will attract different species of butterflies, squirrels and rare birds.The first thing is to research on gardening. You don’t need to spend a fortune buying gardening books; you can get a lot of gardening information on the internet. Use the information gathered, to prepare a tentative budget.Secondly, cultivate your garden and uproot all the dead leaves, weeds, dandelions, moss e.t.c. If you are using a weed killer make sure it is not the strong kind because it will end up damaging the tender seedlings that you will plant in your garden.Thirdly, once your garden is properly cultivated, plant seedlings and deposit fertilizer on them. Planting seedlings as opposed to fully grown plants is much more affordable and cost-effective. Ensure the fertilizer you purchase has nitrogen because it’s a weed killer. The fertilizer should be applied at least four times in the year. This effort will make your garden grow without interferences from pests and rodents.Fourthly, water your seedlings daily with a hose pipe. It’s advisable to water the garden early in the morning or late in the evening. Ensure the water sprinkled is at least two inches to prevent the sun from scotching the seedlings.Five, fence your garden with neat picket fences painted with the color of your choice. Fencing your garden will keep away unwanted animals or children running around your freshly cultivated and planted garden.Six, continue with the routine until you see your garden taking shape. Don’t neglect cultivating your garden because weeds, dry leaves, papers will attack your garden.Seven, fit your garden with lawn lighting and place mirrors around your garden to give the illusion of space. Fairy lights placed around your garden fence and lanterns will make your garden look spectacular especially at night.Eight, invest in some outdoor furniture like garden tables, chairs, parasols and barbeque grills for cooking steak and sausages in the middle of a hot afternoon. Place decorative paving slabs in your garden so that your grill and garden furniture don’t rest on your freshly cultivated garden.Lastly, gardening is all about experimentation. You can have the garden of your dreams if you are will and committed to work at it. A garden is like a baby the more you nourish and feed it with the correct essential nutrients the more it will flourish and blossom to everyone’s delight.
Business Loans In Canada: Financing Solutions Via Alternative Finance & Traditional Funding
Business loans and finance for a business just may have gotten good again? The pursuit of credit and funding of cash flow solutions for your business often seems like an eternal challenge, even in the best of times, let alone any industry or economic crisis. Let’s dig in.
Since the 2008 financial crisis there’s been a lot of change in finance options from lenders for corporate loans. Canadian business owners and financial managers have excess from everything from peer-to-peer company loans, varied alternative finance solutions, as well of course as the traditional financing offered by Canadian chartered banks.
Those online business loans referenced above are popular and arose out of the merchant cash advance programs in the United States. Loans are based on a percentage of your annual sales, typically in the 15-20% range. The loans are certainly expensive but are viewed as easy to obtain by many small businesses, including retailers who sell on a cash or credit card basis.
Depending on your firm’s circumstances and your ability to truly understand the different choices available to firms searching for SME COMMERCIAL FINANCE options. Those small to medium sized companies ( the definition of ‘ small business ‘ certainly varies as to what is small – often defined as businesses with less than 500 employees! )
How then do we create our road map for external financing techniques and solutions? A simpler way to look at it is to categorize these different financing options under:
Debt / Loans
Asset Based Financing
Alternative Hybrid type solutions
Many top experts maintain that the alternative financing solutions currently available to your firm, in fact are on par with Canadian chartered bank financing when it comes to a full spectrum of funding. The alternative lender is typically a private commercial finance company with a niche in one of the various asset finance areas
If there is one significant trend that’s ‘ sticking ‘it’s Asset Based Finance. The ability of firms to obtain funding via assets such as accounts receivable, inventory and fixed assets with no major emphasis on balance sheet structure and profits and cash flow ( those three elements drive bank financing approval in no small measure ) is the key to success in ABL ( Asset Based Lending ).
Factoring, aka ‘ Receivable Finance ‘ is the other huge driver in trade finance in Canada. In some cases, it’s the only way for firms to be able to sell and finance clients in other geographies/countries.
The rise of ‘ online finance ‘ also can’t be diminished. Whether it’s accessing ‘ crowdfunding’ or sourcing working capital term loans, the technological pace continues at what seems a feverish pace. One only has to read a business daily such as the Globe & Mail or Financial Post to understand the challenge of small business accessing business capital.
Business owners/financial mgrs often find their company at a ‘ turning point ‘ in their history – that time when financing is needed or opportunities and risks can’t be taken. While putting or getting new equity in the business is often impossible, the reality is that the majority of businesses with SME commercial finance needs aren’t, shall we say, ‘ suited’ to this type of funding and capital raising. Business loan interest rates vary with non-traditional financing but offer more flexibility and ease of access to capital.
We’re also the first to remind clients that they should not forget govt solutions in business capital. Two of the best programs are the GovernmentSmall Business Loan Canada (maximum availability = $ 1,000,000.00) as well as the SR&ED program which allows business owners to recapture R&D capital costs. Sred credits can also be financed once they are filed.
Those latter two finance alternatives are often very well suited to business start up loans. We should not forget that asset finance, often called ‘ ABL ‘ by those Bay Street guys, can even be used as a loan to buy a business.
If you’re looking to get the right balance of liquidity and risk coupled with the flexibility to grow your business seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor with a track record of business finance success who can assist you with your funding needs.
UV Protective Clothing – Important For Keeping Your Skin Protected From The Sun
When it comes to spending time outdoors, many people know that it is wise to wear sunscreen if you are going to be exposed to the sun for a long period. What many people don’t know is that there is also special UV protective clothing designed to offer you even more protection.What is UV protective clothing?UV protective clothing, as the term suggests, is clothing that protects you from the UV rays of the sun. It differs from normal clothing in that it blocks up to twice as many UV rays, and as a result is more expensive. The popular fabric choices for these types of garments are nylon, lycra and polyester. With everyday clothing you get some protection, but this depends on how close the fibers are together, and this often means warmer outfits on hot days, which can be counterproductive. This will protect you from the sun, even on those seemingly harmless cloudy days.Why is it better?While sunscreen and UV protection clothing essentially have the same function, the clothing option would be the better choice simply because it is more convenient. With sunscreen you have to reapply the lotion often and you can often miss spots. With clothing you put on one garment, which does not rub or sweat off. This is good for kids who like to have fun and dread having to make frequent stops to get screened. You won’t be exposing nasty chemicals to your skin or worry about your child’s sensitive skin being affected by them. It is also better than sunscreen because it protects against more of the UV rays so is more effective.UV protective clothing is a good investment if you spend a lot of time outdoors and want to take care of the good health of your skin.